


Starfish

by leydileyla



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Banter, Christmas, Drinking, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Forgiveness, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Kissing, Mutual Pining, Pining, Post-War, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smoking, Swearing, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28753449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leydileyla/pseuds/leydileyla
Summary: It’s the first Potions class of the year. Hogwarts has reopened after the war, and students have been invited back to repeat their last year. The school has assigned a new seating plan and turns out you’ve been paired up with Draco Malfoy.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 20
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! This will be a multi-chapter fic, so buckle up! The Elixir to Induce Euphoria was in the 6th book, but I’ve slightly changed the recipe and ingredients for the fic. Also the ending dialogue is from the show Fleabag!

“Argh, I really don’t feel like having to put up with Potions this morning.” You groaned as you walked towards the dungeons with Hermione.

“Well, maybe we’ll be making something exciting today.” She answered.

“I really don’t think so. Even if we do, I don’t think I’ll be able to enjoy it because I’m so fucking tired.” You had shared a bottle of fire whiskey with Hermione, Ron and Harry the previous night. It was all fun and games until you woke up with a massive headache. Hermione had helped with your headache using a small spell, but she couldn’t do anything about you constantly yawning and complaining.

“Well, you’d better put a smile on your face, we’re here.” Hermione said as she entered the grimy dungeons, choosing you both a table to work on.

“Oh God, don’t tell me our first Potions is with Slytherin!” You said as you noticed the students carrying the green amblem on their robes fill the dungeons.

“It was written down on our schedule.” Hermione said, but she still sounded equally agitated by the idea. You started emptying your ingredients from your bag, on to the table.

“Good morning young witches and wizards” you heard Slughorn say as he walked towards the front of the class.

“Welcome back to Hogwarts! If you are all ready, we will be brewing the Elixir to Induce Euphoria today. The Elixir to Induce Euphoria is a sunshine-yellow potion that induces a sense of inexplicable, irrational happiness upon the drinker. I thought this would be a good way to start this year’s first Potions class with, after, well, everything that has happened.” He finished quietly, his voice trailing off and with empty eyes. Almost immediately returning to his friendly, bumbling self he continued “So open your books, you’ll find the instructions and ingredients on page 84. If there are any ingredients you don’t have, you can find them from the cabinet in the corner.” He smiled to the students, who were starting to feel slightly excited.

“I told you we might make something exciting” Hermione grinned, turning the pages of her book.

“Oh and also, everyone check the new seating plan the school administration has assigned for you. They’ve thought this will be a great way for houses to form new relationships for a more healthy future. You can find it by the door, on the board” He added. Sounds of protest arised from the students. You really didn’t want to look at the seating plan. The Elixir had slightly excited you, happiness was something you were lacking. The war left marks. And you were still trying to heal them. Yes, everything was getting better and the future was full of hope, but it was hard to overcome the pain. You waited for the students to look at the seating plan. You weren’t eager to find out who you would sit next to.

“I hope I’m assigned next to you” you said to Hermione before she headed off towards the board.

“You know that will never happen. We aren’t _that_ lucky.” She giggled back, pushing past the students. That’s when you noticed him. The blonde hair, the green robes, those icy gray eyes. The eyes that were staring at you. You felt a chill run down your spine. That’s when you noticed Hermione behind him, by the board, frantically pointing at him and mouthing the words that would make you wonder what you had done to make this day go like this,

“ _It’s him_ ”. You cursed under your breath. He started walking towards you.

“Malfoy! Happy to see me?” You asked with a heavy tone of sarcasm in your voice.

“We will be working together Y/L/N.” He replied dryly, ignoring your tone.

“Fine. Well come on then, this elixir won’t be brewing itself.” You said as you walked back towards the table where you and Hermione had initially sat. “If it’s fine by you, we can sit here. I’ve already started setting up everything. Don’t make me pack it all back again and make my day even worse.” You groaned. He didn’t bother to answer, he just followed you with his bag. You were tired, and all you wanted to do was to curl up in your bed and have a nap. Hermione approached the table to grab her bag and her books. She threw you a quick look and mouthed the words “ _I’m sorry_ ”. You replied with a look which you hoped felt like a silent plea for help. She got her stuff and moved across the room to another table, next to a Slytherin student you only knew by name.

“If you are settled down, you can start working on the Elixir. Good luck everyone” you heard Slughorn’s voice echo through the dungeons.

“Have you ever prepared this elixir before?” You asked Malfoy as you opened your book, searching for the recipe.

“No.” He replied not looking at you.

“Well someone’s not happy today. We’d better get this done perfectly Malfoy. Seems like we’re both in need of it.” You loved mocking Slytherin’s. It seemed traditional at this point. _Maybe the school was right about forming healthy relationships with other houses_ , you thought to yourself. Though, this certain Slytherin usually liked mocking you back, or anyone really.

“We’ll be needing peppermint, shrivelfig, porcupine quills, seven castor beans and starfish legs. It doesn’t seem like I have any starfish. I’ll check the cabinet if you don’t have any.” He said.

“No. No, I don’t.” You answer drifting off into thoughts as he walks off to fetch the missing ingredient. You looked at your wrist, small gold starfish charms dangling from the bracelet you had on. “I always have starfish with me.” You whispered quietly.

“Sorry?” You jumped as you heard Draco’s voice from behind you.

“Nothing, just checking that everything is ready.” You both started working together. It surprised you how easy it was. You didn’t really talk. You didn’t need to talk. You started chopping, and mixing, and adding ingredients with a harmony that surprised the both of you. His words stopped you as you were about to add the seven castor beans in to the purple potion,

“Nice bracelet. I thought you didn’t have any starfish with you?” He said. This was the first time you had heard a slight tone of amusement in his tone.

“I always have starfish with me.” You replied as you carried on adding the castor beans, one by one.

“Well, you shouldn’t have sent me to fetch some then. Could’ve just borrowed some from you.” He was blatantly smiling now.

“Well I’m sorry, but my starfish aren’t for making potions” you said feeling amused. The elixir must be working already, you thought. You carried on working together in silence. The cold mood had lifted. Well, only slightly. But the rest of the steps seemed to flow easier.

“Well time for the starfish legs, I guess,” Malfoy spoke as he reached for the jar of starfish legs he’d picked up from the cabinet, “Want to add them? Seeing that you like them so much,” he smirked waving the jar in front of you.

“Stop it!” You giggled. The potion had turned to orange, “Give it here then.” You started adding the starfish to the cauldron, taking your time. You could feel Malfoy watching you, while the mixture started to turn yellow.

“I think we’re done. We should probably call Slughorn” he said, checking the consistency of the elixir.

“Wait a second” you had an idea. You emptied the jar of peppermint into the bin beside your table. And filled the empty jar to the brim with the bright yellow mixture.

“What are you doing Y/L/N?” Malfoy asked.

“Well, if we did succeed in making the elixir, why not drink some of it? I wouldn’t say no to an inducement of euphoria, and I don’t think you would too.”

“I can’t believe you.”

“What! I’ll share if you want to,” you said as you put the jar in your bag. “Professor! I think we’re done here,” you called Slughorn over towards your table. You saw Malfoy roll his eyes.

“Well well well, Y/N and Draco. How did it go?” He asked as he started inspecting the elixir.

“It was great Professor. All went well,” _fucking amazing_ , you thought sarcastically. You were sure Malfoy was thinking the same thing.

“I can see that. You’ve done an excellent job! Well done both of you. Ten points to each of your houses! And you were the first to finish. Perfect work! As a reward, I’ll let you leave early.” Slughorn said.

“Thank you Professor!” you exclaimed, thinking of your warm bed, looking at the clock. You had an hour and a half to rest until your next lesson.

“This is a powerful and addictive potion. Even the best of us can be fooled by its false sense of joy. Best to be careful,” he said and made the elixir disappear with a wave of his wand. You and Malfoy glanced at each other. With that, Slughorn turned to some other students on a table close to yours. You saw Hermione still working with the Slytherin student. You and Malfoy started to clean up.

Once you had everything tidied, there was a weird silence that hung in the air. So you did what you did best, you just turned around to leave.

“Fuck you then,” you heard him say. You turned to face him, puzzled. But when you saw the mischievous look on his face, you couldn’t help but smile. You turned your back to him again, and left. Needn’t to say, you didn’t see him smiling back at you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco Malfoy sends you a note, and a small present. It surprises you and your friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short, but more is coming up!

“It wasn’t that bad,” you were laughing at Harry and Ron’s reaction, when they heard you were paired up with Malfoy for Potions.

“That’s bloody awful Y/N,” Ron said as he pulled a face of disgust.

“Oh come on, he’s just a whiney old Slytherin, nothing I can’t handle. We’ve all faced worse,” you giggled.

“Yes, but it’s Malfoy for fuck sake!” Ron shaked his head in disbelief. Harry looked like he couldn’t wrap his head around the idea.

“Well, she’s right. He does seem more… calm I guess?” Hermione added.

“Oh not you too ‘mione. I don’t know what’s up with you guys,” Ron said as he drank some pumpkin juice from his glass. Hermione put her hands on his shoulders from beside him and gave him a small squeeze.

“Nothing’s up with us, cheer up darling, me and Y/N are just trying to have a laugh of a silly collision. And they did do a great job on that elixir,” she grinned looking at you from across the table.

“The Elixir to Induce Euphoria. I wouldn’t say no to a swig of that,” Harry said, whilst filling his plate with some scrambled eggs.

“I thought the exact same thing! They should be giving it out to us in bucket load,” you said, thinking of the jar you had in your dorm, hidden in your sock draw.

It was a lovely September morning, and you were enjoying a long casual Sunday breakfast with your friends. Your first week was over and you were relieved. The first week always seemed the hardest and once it was over, the rest of the year just seemed to flow. You were hoping to have a calm year. Which would be a drastic change compared to your past academic experience. What could go wrong, you were thinking as an owl approached your table. It was a small, elegant, silver owl. It dropped an envelope in front of you. The envelope simply said “Y/L/N” on it.

“Well come on then, open it,” Ron said as you were tracing the envelope with your fingers. You had a bad feeling in your stomach. You had a guess about who the note was from.

You picked up the letter, and noticed it had something in it. _Not too heavy_ , you thought. You opened it and it said,

“ _You said we could share if I wanted to. Hope you haven’t finished it already_.”

There was another item in the letter. You opened the envelope up so you could see. Your heart dropped. You couldn’t believe it. It was a small, dried starfish. Feelings of shock, and sadness, and happiness, and despair surrounded you. You took the Starfish out of the envelope. It was so delicate and beautiful. It contrasted with the gold charms dangling from your bracelet.

“A starfish?” Harry asked, looking as puzzled as your two other friends.

“I..I think Draco Malfoy sent me a starfish guys.” You said, still not sure what to think, what to do.

“But how does he know..?” Hermione asked.

“He doesn’t. He saw my bracelet in Potions class. I just told him I always carried starfish with me. He knows that I’m fond of them.”

“What does the note say?” You didn’t want to answer Harry’s question. But you also didn’t want to lie and hide things. You read the note out loud.

“He’s talking about a jar of the elixir I smuggled into my bag before Slughorn made it disappear.” You added knowing they had no context to the note.

“What? You could get into trouble doing things like that!” Hermione said looking panicked and slightly cross.

“Oh come on, we’ve done much worse shit than that,” you said. A part of you wanted to forget about the note, a part of you wanted to confront him, a part of you wanted to mock him and a part of you wanted to explore him. Feeling confused, you looked at your friends. It seemed like none of you could find a suitable reaction.

“He’s not here is he?” You suddenly turned your head around, looking towards the Slytherin table.

“I can’t see him,” Ron said, craning his neck.

You were relieved he wasn’t here. Was this a prank? But a part of you knew it wasn’t.

“Well, what do we do now?” Asked Harry.

“Nothing.” You said looking up at the wonderous ceiling. “We don’t have to do anything.” You said solemnly.

“But it’s fucking Mal-” you cut off Ron.

“I know but, I just don’t want to deal with this. I want a calm and peaceful school year. We’ve all been through enough and I’m not letting no Slytherin get in the way of that.”

Harry started to chuckle, “Well, it is going to be our first year without Voldemort.”

“Yeah, finally we can have some bloody peace,” Ron said, starting to lighten up. Hermione was smiling, and you were relieved. It was going to be a great year. You knew it.

“Well, N.E.W.T.s are ahead of us, so don’t get too peaceful”

“Hermione!” The three of you protested in unison. Yes, everything was normal. You were all together, enjoying yourselves. You carried on with your breakfast, chatting and laughing. But this didn’t make the small note disappear, nor the occasional glances from Hermione. You tried not to think about the Slytherin Prince. Or the delicate starfish you had in your pocket.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N remembers a memory from the Battle of Hogwarts and contemplates the idea of change.

“Oh dear Merlin,” you mumbled. You crouched down to pick up the book you had dropped to the ground. Your Transfiguration Class had just finished, you felt tired but content. You enjoyed Transfiguration. Being able to change objects into something else thrilled you. The only constant in life is change, you thought. Change was inevitable. It was everywhere. You grabbed your book and headed towards the door, smiling to some Hufflepuff students you’d been in the same class with on your way out. You wanted to be alone. You felt like you needed it. The last few days had been a frenzy. Students were excited to be back at Hogwarts, the air was full of hope and joy and celebration. Every corner seemed to be buzzing with excitement. On the contrary though the teachers had started the lessons with full dedication. They were trying to catch up with everything students had missed. You realised your hand was in your pocket, your fingers playing around with the starfish, that was sent from a certain platinum blonde serpent. You quickly released it. You couldn’t believe how much you were pulled in to this object, nor how much you loathed it. You had thought about throwing it away, but you just couldn’t. It excited you. It promised change. You fastened your pace. These last few days really had been a frenzy. After the Sunday breakfast with your friends, you had seen him multiple times. Making eye contact but never acknowledging each other. _Change_. You kept repeating the word in your head. You believed in change. People could change. Towards the light, or towards the dark.

_Explosions, and fire. Spells ringing in the air like they had no end. You were running, trying to find your friends. Hexing any death eater that came across your path. Running. Watching where you stepped. There was no point of acting brave, you were scared. Scared for your friends, scared for your family, scared for everyone. Smoke and ashes were all you could smell. You were running through a long dark corridor. That’s when you saw him, running towards you. You readied your wand, preparing to attack. Malfoy yelled,_

“ _KNEEL!” You didn’t know why you complied. But you kneeled down anyway. He strung a spell, in a split second, you thought you had died. But you hadn’t. He was looking behind you. A death eater lay on the ground. Motionless. You didn’t try to understand. You just accepted it. Change. Both of you heard more footsteps coming from behind you. There was no time to talk. He pulled you up, and you took your place. Beside him. More spells. And fear. It was over quickly. Both of you were safe. Looking at his face, you saw the same fear in his eyes. He had changed. You didn’t exchange any words. You did what you did the best, you turned your back and ran._

You had never really thought of that moment after the war. But the scene kept playing in your head since the day you had worked with him during class. He was redeemed in the eyes of everyone because he fought on the winning side. You suddenly felt the cool air of the outside on your face. Taking a deep breath, you practically started to run towards the lake. You wanted to find an empty tree, and slump down under it. Away from everyone else for a while. Closer to your thoughts. Reaching the lake, you were relieved to find an empty space. You basically threw yourself on the ground, making yourself feel comfortable. The feel of the earth comforted you. The sight of the water calmed. You took a deep breath, closed your eyes, and tried to lose yourself in your mind’s tranquility.

~

When you opened them, you felt much better. You were in much need for a moment by yourself. Hermione had Ron, Harry had Ginny. You had, well, yourself. So escaping like this was truly a requirement at this point. You reached for your bag to grab your notebook. That was when you noticed them. _Him_. He was sitting with his friends, listening to Zabini talk. Not wanting to stare, you pulled open your notebook and started to go over the notes you took during Transfiguration. The sun carried on moving. Moving towards its home. You kept on studying, whilst one ear was by the Slytherins. Finally, you heard them starting to move. You couldn’t resist the urge to look up at them. _Him_. He was still sitting, waving at his friends. Sending them off. As the students started moving towards the castle, he looked up at you. You didn’t break eye contact. He stood up, taking his bag. The idea of waving crossed through your mind. Just as you were about to lift your hand to give him a small wave, he started walking towards you, not the castle. One of your eyebrows lifted. Closer, closer, the Prince of Slytherin was closer, until,

“Hey,” he said, as if you talked to each other every single day, as if saying hey was the most normal thing to say.

“Hey,” you said back. Your eyebrow relaxing back down to its usual position.

“May I?” He gestured towards the empty space on the left to you.

You shrugged, letting him see a small, tired smile, “Of course.” He sat beside you, taking a book from his bag and he started to read, giving his back to the tree you were both under. There he was. Letting his way in to your tranquility. Muddling all thoughts that were at peace. Creating adrenaline to course through every inch of your body. He was a closed box. A box, with a silver ribbon on top, waiting, for you, to open. _Change_. You carried on going through your notes, as he read. No words were spoken. None were needed. As the sun was almost home, as the stars were readying to get out and enjoy themselves in the night sky, you decided to leave. Packing your stuff, you stood up carefully, as if not to disturb him.

“Leaving Y/L/N?” he asked, you thought there was a drop of concern in his voice. But you weren’t sure how to interpret it.

“I should really eat something before supper is over,” you weren’t sure what to say after. What would you say, he had basically been you and your friends rival for the past 8 years.

“See you around then.” Were the words you chose. _Change_.

“See you,” he said back, not moving a bit, his gaze, fixed on you. So you did what you did best, you turned around to leave. But the urge was too strong, you had to ask him. So you turned around back again, and simply asked,

“Why?”

Draco Malfoy took his time to answer.

“I wish I knew,” he shrugged. You didn’t know what to do with that answer. The Silver Serpent sat there, as the sun set. You left him there, sitting under the tree. The tree that once had you, and then the both of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved working on the theme of change. Let me know what you think so far, I really appreciate the feedback 🍃


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Potions class shared with Draco Malfoy.

_Potions_. Opening your eyes, you studied your surroundings. The sun, creeping through the curtains that were slightly ajar. Today was the day you dreaded. You weren’t sure if you would still be paired up with Malfoy, or if the seating would change. You didn’t know which of the possibilities made you feel more disappointed. You saw that Hermione’s bed was empty, checking the time, you decided to grab your robes and take a shower before breakfast.

It had been a week since the first time you and Malfoy had worked together. 4 days since he sent you a starfish. 13 hours since you had sat together under the tree by the lake. Your friends had never spoken of the note again. Though you could sense they were curious, even worried maybe. They never commented. You thought back to the golden elixir in your sock draw. You still hadn’t gotten around to opening it. Were you waiting for something?

You spent what seemed like a decade under the warm water, imagining every question that was left without an answer being washed away. When you stepped out of the shower, you felt ready. Ready to face whatever the day was about to bring. As you got dressed, you decided to add a hairpin, with a delicate gold starfish on it, to your hair. You searched for your jewellery box, and found what you were looking for. A small spell to dry your hair, a gentle touch to add the pin, to the right side of your head. You let your hair hang loose, not putting it up in a bun, or pony tail. _My battle suit_ , you smiled to the mirror.

Breakfast was jolly. Finding your friends in their usual spot, you joined them. They had already started to eat, Ron was mumbling about some homework he hadn’t finished, Harry and Ginny were talking about Quidditch practices that were starting this week. Hermione was sitting next to you,

“Potions today,” she whispered to you, “feeling excited?” She said the last bit whilst grinning. This was the first time she had commented on the whole situation, since the morning Malfoy had sent you the note and a starfish.

“ _Hermione_!” Silently protesting, you checked the others had heard anything. Thankfully they hadn’t.

“Well, I think he’s looking forward to it. At least, he’s looking _towards_ you. He’s had his eyes on you since the moment you entered the Great Hall,” she replied, still whispering and ending her sentence with a nod towards the Slytherin table. You looked up, and saw him, immediately, finding his almost white, blonde hair. You locked eyes, and he gave you a small nod with his head, so small you could have missed it, if you weren’t paying attention. But he had all of your attention. _Change_. You returned his gesture, nodding your head, ever so slightly, just like him. You instantly turned your head back to Hermione, who had an eyebrow cocked up, trying to suppress a smile. But she wasn’t that successful at hiding her amusement.

“Oh come on, he’s our rival.” You whispered sharply.

“I know but it’s… I really don’t know, you’ve got to admit it’s intriguing. Maybe he’s trying to change, maybe he’s trying to get close to Harry to put some evil plan in place. Who knows, the chances are endless,” she was awfully bubbly this morning.

“Come on guys stop whispering” Ginny said, “We’ll almost think you two are conspiring against us.”

“No chance, if we decided to conspire against you lot, you wouldn’t even think about it,” Hermione answered back, laughing.

“Plus, Ron, Harry, you two will be late for Charms. Flitwick will be annoyed.”

“Shit” Ron cursed stuffing a last piece of toast smothered with jam into his mouth. Harry had already stood up, hurriedly giving Ginny a kiss on the cheek, “Come on Ron, you’ve had enough to eat,” he said waiting for his ginger haired friend to join him.

“Okay, okay, I’m ready,” he replied, quickly getting up, blowing Hermione a kiss from across the table “Love you,” was all he could manage before Harry started pulling his arm, tugging him towards the entrance of the Great Hall.

“Love you too, darling,” Hermione raised her voice slightly so Ron could hear.

“Boys,” you let out a sigh, rolling your eyes.

“You don’t get off that easily, Harry mentioned Malfoy sent a note to you,” Ginny said whilst scooting closer to the two of you.

“Why would he mention that?” You felt slightly annoyed at your friend.

“Umm, maybe because we’ve basically been at our throats of each other since the first year any of us set foot to Hogwarts. Also, he’s my boyfriend, so he’s obligated to tell me everything.” She added the last part more cheerfully. The first sentence came out more like a complaint.

“I know, but it really is nothing,” you said, touching the starfish in your pocket.

“Oh but you have to admit, this whole situation is kind of exciting,” Hermione seemed to be saying this to Ginny. The gossip was too juicy for them to oversee the situation like you wished they would.

“I can’t believe he sent you a starfish. I’ve got to admit, that’s kind of romantic. Eww, I can’t believe I just used the word ‘romantic’ for something Draco Malfoy did!” she imitated a small gag.

“I don’t know guys, and I’m surprised you two seem so excited about this,” you weakly protested.

“Well, we’re used to adrenaline, no Voldemort, no weird teachers, no conspiracies. Let us have our fun, and he did decide to fight on our side, he hasn’t thrown any sly, arrogant remarks in our way since…the war. He just seems, sad really.” Hermione said.

“I bet you know lots of ways to cheer him up,” Ginny was bearing an evil grin.

“Oh fuck no, now it’s my turn to gag!” You mock gagged, feeling much better your friends were not taking this too seriously.

A little fun couldn’t hurt no one.

“Oh but, you have to tell us all about it this evening, no boys! We’ll have a gossip session.” Hermione added, seeming eager to hear about every detail. You smiled. This whole conversation made you feel like a normal teenager. You never really had time for all this with your friends. Now, at 19, returning to the school you spent all those years in, you finally felt young. Your friends were right, you didn’t have to take this seriously.

“Fine, I’ve got a bottle of Prosecco in my trunk, we’ll have a girls night,” you giggled.

“You _always_ have a bottle of Prosecco in your trunk,” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“You never know when you’ll need a bottle of Prosecco,” you winked at her. “Come on then Hermione, let’s get going, it doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to escape this,” she picked her bag up, and replied,

“Ready if you are,”

“I’ll never be ready for the Prince of Slytherin!” You mocked.

“Oh you’ve got nicknames for him now, how cute!”

“Oh please!” You felt lightened and happy. You left the Great Hall, heading to your class. Change, you thought. A lot had changed.

When you arrived at the dark, chilly classroom, you saw him. He was already seated, looking through a book he had in front of him. It was the same place you had sat together last week. You dreaded to look at the board. It was by the door you had just entered. Forcing your self to turn to the board, you scoured the list with your eyes. There it was; Y/N-Y/L/N and Draco Malfoy. Again. You looked at Hermione.

“Go, it will be over quickly enough,” she said. You grunted. He was there. Simply, waiting for you. You stepped with light steps towards him. He noticed you when you reached the table.

“Hey,” you said, reminiscing the evening before, acting like you always said hey to each other.

“Hey,” he answered back, like everything was as it should be. “Reserved the spot for us,” he said plainly, gesturing to the table. You wanted to laught at the word “us”. After all the years of tormenting and hate, you would never have thought of the mentioning “us”. It was comical.

“Thank you.” You said taking a seat next to the left side of him. You both stayed silent. Not knowing what to say. Not needing to say a thing. As the silence stretched between you, Slughorn entered through the door.

“Oh God, why wear something like that?” You remarked silently, crunching your face. Slughorn was wearing bright orange robes, with small purple flowers embroidered on to the satin fabric. You heard Malfoy snort a laugh.

"What?” You turned to look at him. His eyes.

“It’s terrible!” He whispered, quite obviously suppressing a laugh. _His eyes_. The way they sparkled.

“Ghastly!” You retaliated, not hiding your amusement.

“Hello Class! I see you’ve taken your seats, and I’m guessing everyone is ready!” The orange robes were too distracting. You nodded your head in disbelief while Slughorn gave you instructions of the potion you would be working on today. You and Malfoy started readying the ingredients, mixing, heating, chopping without the need to speak.

You were cutting some lavender, thinking how you adored the smell when Draco Malfoy, suddenly got close to you, and whispered,

“Love the starfish detail,” _a shiver_. Moving through every inch of your body. A shiver. Making you feel every part of it, not being able to block it. He didn’t stop there. After taking a small pause, as if waiting for the shiver to course through your body and finish, he continued,

“I hope you liked the small starfish I sent you?” Another _shiver_. Through each nerve, and every single follicle. This was the first time the starfish, and the note had been addressed between you. It was him. _Of course it was him_ , you thought. Slowly, you turned to look at him. The look on his face was…well, you couldn’t quite place it, but the word 'inviting’ would be a way to describe it. So you took his invitation. _Fuck it_. You had your battle suit on. You leaned over to him, slightly raising on your tiptoes, to reach over to his ear. You could feel he was surprised,

“Loved it, also I was wondering what I should be doing with the small jar I have. I heard you were up to sharing?” Now was his time to feel the shiver. You stood back, returning to the lavender you were preparing. _Change_. You wanted to open the box with the silver ribbon. This last week had been truly unexpected. Had you been flirting with Malfoy? Well, maybe not untill now, but there was no turning from here. You wanted to explore him. And seeing the response he gave to your sudden enthusiasm, you were certain he wanted to explore you too. After what seemed like ages, he shaked himself off, returning to his usual self. The potion was almost finished, you carried on, without speaking, but working with perfect sync. This time, you were overly aware of his presence. You let out a relieved sigh when the potion turned the calming blue colour it was meant to be.

“You are quite good at this you know?” You said to the blonde who was sniffing the potion.

“I’m good at everything,” he replied with a mocking arrogance. You rolled your eyes, starting to clean the surface you had been working on. Slughorn had started to go around the class inspecting everyone’s work, wearing those dreadful robes. You waited silently. Trying to focus on something else other than the bright orange robes, or the Serpent standing right next to you. Needless to say, both were equally distracting. Slughorn finally arrived to your table, checked your potion, sniffed it, swivelled it. Clapping his hands together, he exclaimed,

“Perfect! You two have done a marvelous job, yet again! 10 points to each of your houses! I’m so glad the school has paired you two up together, you have become a perfect couple,” he said. You both smiled, thanking him, but also feeling uncomfortable, having everyone’s attention on you, for the second time now, since the term had begun. He left you two, mumbling about something being great, moving on to the next student pair. The air between you had became uneasy. It was like someone had popped your bubble of privacy you had shared, up until now. Slughorn finished checking the last pair of students work, and called out to the class,

“Okay, we’re finished for today! Take care and don’t forget to leave your work space clean for the students to arrive after you!” Relieved class was over, you took your bag, and got ready to move towards Hermione who was waiting for you by the door.

“Wait,” you heard the Slytherin say. You looked at him, pulling your bag over your shoulder. He cleared his throat, and spoke quietly,

“I’ll be at the tree, when my classes are over, around 4 o'clock.” He said without looking at you. “I’ll be alone.” He added, lifting his gaze to meet your eyes.

“See you Malfoy,” was all you could manage. This was all to much, happening all too fast. You left. Walking towards Hermione, grabbing her hand before she could say a thing. Pulling her towards the corridor. You told her everything that happened on your way to your next class.

“Which tree?” She asked, not knowing about the evening before.

“Oh, he said, 'a tree by the lake’, I’m not sure which one. Probably expecting me to search for him the arrogant git,” you said not wanting to share the details of your little encounter. You wanted that moment to stay private. As a small secret.

“What will you do?” She asked, sincerely wondering about the answer.

“I don’t know,” you felt helpless. She didn’t push you. You were thankful for her understanding.

Classes were over, but all you were able to think about for the whole day was Draco fucking Malfoy. You practically ran to your dorm room, wanting to snuggle in your bed, and to not deal with anything. He excited you, and annoyed you at the same time. _This is enough for today_ , you thought, leaving Hermione in the Common Room with Ron whilst you went up to your Dorm.

Heading to your chest to find a clean set of pyjamas was when you saw it. A small box, on your bed. Your heart dropped. You had a guess about it. Slowly, as if trying not to disturb anything, you approached the box. It was covered in black suede. Simple looking, but elegant. You opened it up, and saw a small silver starfish, with tiny jades decorating the legs. You carefully picked it up, taking in every single detail. It was a brooch. _Change_. You put the starfish back in its box and headed towards your sock draw, grabbing the small jar. You checked the time, it was almost 4. Knowing what you were going to do, you opened the door and ran down the stairs. The Common Room was slightly crowded, the fire crackling. Hermione was sitting with Ron and Ginny. You headed towards her,

“Hermione, I’ve got something to do.” You cocked an eyebrow knowing she would understand what you meant. “Girls night is still up though, see you at supper!” You did what you did best, you turned around and left. Adrenaline was buzzing through your body. You felt exhilarated. You left the Common Room to find the Prince of Slytherin, not knowing what to expect.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco and Reader share the Elixir they made together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, this is one of my favourite chapters I've written so far, hope you enjoy 🍃

You saw him. He was under the tree by the lake. The tree you had shared your time together. You approached him,

“Hey,” you said, as though this had became a small tradition between you.

“Hey,” he answered back, surprised, he was probably not expecting you to actually turn up. Craning his neck, he looked behind you, to check if you were alone.

“May I?” You asked, gesturing to the empty spot beside him.

“Help yourself,” he said before you sat beside him. You faced your body towards the lake, watching the surface of the water, hoping it would calm your nerves. _What am I doing,_ you thought to yourself.

“Will you try to kill me?” You asked, turning your head to face him.

“What, _fuck no Y/L/N_! Why would I do that?” You raised an eyebrow at his response, lowering your head suggestively,

“You see, I can give you many reasons as to why I would think of that, many many reasons,” you said. He didn’t answer, choosing to watch the lake. He seemed sad, it didn’t stop you though,

“You have done horrible things, I know you were on our side in the end but, you must understand my hesitance,” you carried on, your eyes still watching him.

“I’m trying my best,” he answered quietly, slightly gritting his teeth. A small pause, before he turned to look at you, “also, hesitance for what?” He asked, with a more devilish tone. You put your hand into your bag and pulled out the elixir, slightly shaking it, the rays of sunshine hitting the golden mixture, making it seem like it was radiating.

“I need to know I can trust you Malfoy, I need to know you have changed. And I know, blatantly asking you questions like this won’t give me the answer. So I’m giving you a chance.’ you smiled, bringing the jar between you, finally turning your body from the lake, towards him, crossing your legs so you can be comfortable. Letting your guard down.

"A chance for..?” He asked, his voice trailing off.

“A chance to spend time with me of course, so many are in line Malfoy, you would not believe!” You answered with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

“How do you think this will feel?” You asked as you opened the jar, sniffing the component. It smelt like sweet honey, laced with a slight peppermint, which was a result of the jars previous ingredient. You noticed the blonde would always smell of peppermint too. His hair always perfect, a slight smell of peppermint mixed with his cologne, a cologne you had never smelt before.

“I guess, we’ll feel happy, euphoric!” he exclaimed, mocking your question.

“Oh I know that, I was there while we made it. Will it be like alcohol, or weed, or something totally different, was more what I meant.” He scoffed at your answer.

“Well, we’ll just have to see” he pointed towards the jar with his head, “ladies first.”

You sighed, thinking if you should be regretting this, but nevertheless taking a small sip from the jar.

 _Melted sunshine. The smell of the moonlight. Drinking from fountains of youth. Dancing in the past, the moment and the future. Waterfalls made from flowers. Pools of clouds to bathe in. Trees of hope, with leaves of laughter_.

“Drink,” you said softly, and gave him the jar, wanting to share the happiness with your companion. He took a sip, and joined you in the euphoria. You traveled together, to lands full of joy and happiness. It was like nothing you had felt before. Not like any alcohol, not like any drug. It was pure happiness. It was every happy memory from your childhood, it was your friends laughter, it was your first kiss. It was everything at once. You and Malfoy started conversing at one point. You talked about everything at once, and nothing at all. Laughter filled the air. You were so happy. As time passed, the high of the elixir started to die down. You were still happy, but you were more aware about your surroundings.

“Thank you,” you said to Malfoy, who was laying on his back smiling like a fool. All the years you had known him, and you had never seen him like this.

“What for?” He was smiling, looking up at you.

“For the all the starfish you’ve ever sent me, for being a skillful potions partner, and for making me laugh.” You said the last part, letting out a relieved giggle.

“It’s not me that’s making you bloody laugh, it’s the Elixir,” he giggled back like he had said the funniest thing on the planet. You giggled with him, lying down beside him. You wanted to watch the leaves. Everything around you was giving you the urge to laugh, you wanted to celebrate life, you wanted to celebrate being alive,

“I’m glad I’m alive!” You let out, shrieking with euphoria.

“Me too,” you heard him say dreamily. You turned to look at him. He was smiling, watching you. _His eyes_. You were smiling too. You never knew who was the first to lean in. But you both leaned in, seemingly at the same time, and you shared a kiss. A slow, peaceful kiss. Filling you with joy and delight. You felt like you were the happiest person alive, savouring every movement of his mouth, cherishing every little detail about him. You didn’t know who broke the kiss, but it was in perfect timing. You both pulled back, watching each other with wide grins on your faces. You didn’t know how long you watched each other. You didn’t know how long you lay there. But it was the sun that was setting that awoke you from the dream-like state you were in.

“I’ve got to go!” You said cheerfully. The Elixir still hadn’t completely worn off. You sat up, searching for your bag.

“Don’t, I’m so happy,” he said back.

“It’s the Elixir silly, it doesn’t depend on me,” you smiled as you put the small jar back in your bag. You looked at the Slytherin Prince laying on the grass, joy filling every corner of your body. But this time, you weren’t sure if it was solely the Elixir. You reached your hand out to the boy,

“Come on, I’ll walk you to the castle” you said, waiting for him to take your hand.

“Walk me then, Princess,” he let out a scoff. He took your hand, and you pulled him up. His hand lingered for a while, not letting go immediately. As he was about to pull his hand back, he changed his mind. He pulled you closer to him instead. Your lips met, once more. This time the kiss felt more fierce. You responded back, your body began to feel flush and warm. You knew you had to pull back.

“The sun is setting Draco, I need to leave,” you said, watching his face as it changed many emotions. He shrugged, giving you a smile,

“Alright lets go, but I just want to say, I’m starting to think you’ll turn into a werewolf or something when the sun sets, you’ve been leaving before the dark these past two days,” he said.

“Don’t be silly! I turn into a vampire, not a werewolf!”

“Oh good to know, I feel much better now!” He retaliated with laughter. You stood up, and you wanted to leave him, it was the best thing you did. But you just couldn’t.

“Alright, alright,” the blonde fake moaned, you smiled, still feeling the Elixir coursing through your system. He stood up, and together, you started walking towards the castle, there were the occasional students you saw here and there, far off, but it seemed like mostly everyone had already returned to the Great Hall for supper. You walked in silence, with the occasional break out of laughter amongst you. Before you reached the entrance, you turned to him,

“I think we should carry on alone from here, it would be the best for us,” you said glancing towards some students standing in groups.

“The elixir is losing its affects, I see.” He said, smiling again, but this time it had a sad side to it.

“See you around Malfoy, and thank you for everything.” You said, feeling more grounded and calm. As the elixir had subdued, the air between you had became more tense. You both knew you had shared not only one but two kisses.

“See you Y/L/N,” he said, turning his back and walking towards the castle in a quick stride. This time he was the one who left you behind. _Change_ , you thought. Everything you had ever known your whole life was being shambled by the devilish blonde. Change was inevitable.

~

You wanted to skip supper, directly going up to your dorm. Your friends were still eating, you thought when you couldn’t see them around. You changed into a pair of soft pyjamas, and sat by the window, that looked over the castle grounds. The sun had already disappeared. The night sky was full of stars. _His eyes were full of stars_. You smiled silently recalling the last couple of hours you had spent with him. You felt like the false sense of happiness the elixir gave you had worn off completely. You could understand why Slughorn said it could be addicting. People would do anything to be happy, but it was not real. So you got up, and found the jar from your bag, you opened the window you were sitting by, and let the jar drop. You heard the faint sound of it breaking as it hit the ground. You cast a spell to clear the glass up, you didn’t want any students treading in shards of glass. You knew you could recreate the elixir easily, you had all the ingredients and knew how to make it. But you knew you wouldn’t.

You didn’t know what would happen after this, but letting your guard down to a person you had named the enemy for so many years, made you feel exhilarated. Your fingers played with the silver starfish he had sent you. Taking in all the details engraved on it. He was a closed box, with a silver ribbon on it. And it seemed like he was handing you over a pair of scissors, to open up the box. You felt startled when the door opened, you slipped the starfish you were holding into your pocket. You saw Hermione and Ginny come in. Smiling, you said,

“I’ve got so much to tell you guys!” You stood up and moved towards the chest that was on the ground, at the foot of your bed, opening it to reveal a bottle of Prosecco, shining in the faint light that the lanterns radiated.

“You seem happy, I hope he’s acting proper, or I’ll have to hurt him and he wouldn’t really like that,” Ginny said as she threw herself on to your bed, finding a comfy position. You opened the Prosecco, pouring it into the glasses you had charmed to float in the air. You sent over a glass each to your friends with a small movement of your wand.

“Oh he’s acting proper, all right,” you said, taking your glass and joining the girls. _Change_. Everything was changing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are not sure to do with yourself after sharing a kiss with Draco Malfoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! I wanted this chapter to be more melancholic compared to the previous chapter of the couple's euphoric state. Hope you enjoy!

“Hermione,” you called out to your friend, “ _Hermione_!”

 _How on earth can she get up so early after drinking_ , you thought, sitting upwards in your warm bed, deciding to head down to the Common Room to see if she was there. Your body ached, your head ached after the Elixir and the drinking, your stomach clenched when you thought of him. You needed Hermione to help you with the headache, she truly was amazing at healing spells. Well, she was amazing at everything. Your face lighted up when you saw her with a book, taking some notes on a piece of parchment. She was alone in the Common Room. You ran on your tiptoes towards her,

“Hermione!” You exclaimed, making her jump as a result.

“Godric Y/N!” She said, holding her chest seemingly trying to calm herself.

“I’m sorry, sorry,” you said, smiling nervously, lifting your shoulders with wide eyes as if to apologize. “Morning sunshine!” You added cheerily.

“You’ve got a headache?” She asked quizzically.

“How did you know?” You asked, pulling your head back with confusion. She raised an eyebrow, slightly nodding her head down, waiting for you to find your own answer.

“Oh yes, drinking, going to bed late, I _always_ have a headache afterwards and you also probably had one, and you’ve probably already healed yours,” you counted without taking a breath, “Okay, I’m painfully obvious, but I’m also in pain so, spell me away, please” you added with puppy eyes, she smiled, took out her wand, and charmed your aches and pains away.

“Thank you,” you said with a sheepish smile, feeling thankful. “Oh also, do you have anything for my fucking heart dropping with horror, every time I think of last night?” You asked crunching your face, taking the comfy seat opposite her.

“I’m sad to let you know, that I don’t.” She sighed. “I know we had a very detailed debate about this whole situation last night, but I’m still not sure what to think of this. It’s just..weird. It’s exciting and different that’s for sure, and I’m not against it. Maybe, all Draco Malfoy needs, is someone to care about him-”

“What’s that about Draco Malfoy?” Harry said, coming down the boys dorm stairs.

“Merlin’s lovely trousers,” you mumbled silently. Ginny and Hermione, were two logical human beings, whomst you could easily confide in. The boys on the other hand… Remembering how they reacted to the first note, you weren’t sure they would be able to process the recent happenings. Hermione looked at you, waiting for you to say something,

“We were just saying, what a fucking pain in the arse he is,” you said, lifting your hands acting like you had no idea what was happening,

“ _Y/N_!” Hermione scolded you, expecting you to tell him the reality, Harry was looking at you to, seeming afraid of what answer was about to come his way,

“Fine,” you said, looking down, playing with a piece of cotton thread that was hanging loose from the corner of your pyjama top, “I may have been with Malfoy yesterday evening, I may have shared a small bit of the Elixir I had stashed away in my room with him, we may have had a nice time, and we may have also shared a kiss,” his eyes grew with each sentence you formed, “or _two_.” You added. His jaw finally dropped at the final sentence. You didn’t want to deal with this at the moment, so you quickly stood up,

“I need to change, I’ll be late for class,” you said, running to your dorm. Leaving the two behind.

“Her first period is free, she’s not late for anything,” Hermione rolled her eyes, watching you run up the stairs, like you were escaping from a large Manticore. Harry looked at her expectantly, taking the seat you had previously been seated in,

“Spill, Hermione,” he said. She had no choice but to tell him everything.

~

You had managed to dodge Harry in the Common Room once you had came back from your dormitory, by not looking at him and Hermione, heading to the exit. You didn’t know where you were heading, you just didn’t want to see Harry at the moment, you were scared of what reaction he would give. After all, the two boys had been at each others throats for years.

You glanced at a clock you were passing by, relieved that breakfast must have started by now, deciding to go catch something to eat before your friends came downstairs. As you walked, flashbacks from the previous evening kept coming in front of your eyes, making you flinch, as you tried to repress them. You were so confused, not understanding how this had happened, why it had happened, and when it had happened. It had only been a week since you two had been partnered up, and now the pair of you had been snogging under a fucking tree. It was weird because, you had known him since the day you first step foot on Hogwarts, he was no stranger. You knew how he would retaliate to your sarcastic remarks, you knew when he would scoff at an answer. You knew him.

The memory you shared from the war, passed your mind. You knew how he looked when he was afraid. Both of you had been ripped away of your childhood, it didn’t matter what side you were on. You were left broken after the war, trying to recall what it meant to be young. You nodded your head in disbelief as you walked through the entrance of the Great Hall, _we have barely even spoken throughout this week,_ you thought. And he was sending you notes and starfish. You grabbed a sandwich and a napkin from the table, noticing the few students who had made their way to the hall for an early breakfast. _The library_ , you thought. It would be desolate at this time, so you headed there, biting the sandwich in your hand hungrily.

When you arrived at the library, with your hunger subdued, your mind finally woken up from the sleepy haze you were in, you noticed your first period was free. _Fuck_. You decided to catch up with some homework you had _. I may aswell get some work done while I’m here,_ you thought, choosing some books from the shelves that may help you. You found yourself a spot to work, sitting down, making yourself comfortable. Just as you were about to start, images of the platinum blonde flowed into your mind like the wind before a storm. _Fuck_. How on earth were you supposed to concentrate with this mindset? You took a deep breath, readying yourself, trying to concentrate and free your mind.

~

You looked at the clock on the wall, noticing you had a short time left for your class. You had been in the library for what felt like centuries, barely getting any work done. Finally giving up, you packed your stuff, placing the books you had tried to use back on their shelves, deciding to head to your Ancient Runes class. Not knowing how you were going to concentrate on the subject with the arrogant serpent infiltrating your mind. You wished you wouldn’t come across him on your way to class. But you also wished you did. You had no idea how he would react if he saw you, and you had no idea how you would react. _Oh my, this is going to be a very long day,_ you thought as you looked ahead, your head high, ready to face what the day would bring.

~

You were walking towards the Great Hall for supper with your friends. You hadn’t seen him all day, and you were relieved, you had dodged lunch, wanting to avoid Malfoy and your friends, but your stomach was grumbling so bad, you couldn’t have the audacity to skip supper too. Hermione had joined you for Ancient Runes and you had Defense Against Dark Arts in the afternoon with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry didn’t ask you a thing during the lesson, so you knew he was looking for a suitable moment to talk. From the looks on their faces though, you knew Hermione had told them both. All of you were silent as you walked. You couldn’t take it any longer,

“Oh come on guys! Talk, please talk about anything, you can’t give me the silent treatment,” you protested as you were going down a set of moving stairs.

“We’re not being silent,” Ron said, shaking his head as, acting like he was caught on an act he should not have been doing.

“We are perfectly fine Y/N. I don’t know what you are talking about,” Harry said, trying to seem oblivious. You moved in front of the trio, facing them, holding out your arms as if to stop them,

“Come on guys, Hermione must have told you. Just, tell me what you’re thinking,” you basically begged, trying to soften your voice, genuinely wanting to know what they thought. The silence was killing you.

“I don’t know what to think honestly, the moment I think of you and Malfoy, my brain can’t go any further,” Harry said raising his eyebrows and opening his eyes in disbelief, still not being able to wrap his head around the idea,

“Yeah, the same here. And bloody hell,” Ron cut of his sentence, looking around, checking if anyone was at an ears distance, lowering his voice, “you _snogged_ him?”

“Don’t make me feel bad about it, for fuck's sake,” you said getting slightly annoyed.

“No we’re not trying to make you feel bad, it’s just- _argh_ it’s Malfoy! We can’t…understand,” Harry said, trying to find the suitable words. Hermione wasn’t saying anything, she was just watching,

“You’re sure he’s not trying to kill you?” Ron asked,

“I asked him the same thing yesterday!” You laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. Hermione joined you, giggling,

“You can’t just ask someone if they are thinking of killing you,” she nodded her head, clearly amused.

“I’m sorry if I don’t know the proper etiquette for finding out if someone is planning on murdering you,” you said, Ron couldn’t hold himself anymore, he let out a small laugh. You smiled at him. Harry had his hand on his forehead, seemingly contemplating about the meaning of life.

“Oh come on,” Hermione mockingly hit him on his arm, “you’ve always wanted to know what Malfoy has been up to, think of this an inside job, you’ll finally know every single detail,” Harry looked at Hermione with a seemingly annoyed look, before breaking out into laughter, with Harry finally relaxing, the four of you let go, brightening up with laughter, on the moving staircase. Students passing by, looked at you as though you had all lost your minds.

As your laughter had started to slow down, Ron spoke,

“Come on, I’m bloody starving, if we stay here any longer I’ll start nibbling on the portraits, and I don’t think you’ll want to see that.”

“Darling, let’s get you some food immediately,” Hermione said, holding his hand.

“And that Malfoy better be careful, if he tries anything funny, he’ll find us, waiting to hex the shit out of him.” He added,

“Okay! I think someone is _really_ hungry,” Hermione laughed nervously, pulling at Ron’s hand, leading him to find some food, nodding sharply towards you two, signalling for you to follow them. You and Harry obeyed, following the pair. Feeling a bit better about the whole situation, you headed towards the hall with your friends, dreaming about the delicious food.

You had started conversing with Harry about the D.A.D.A. lesson you had just had, when you saw him. You were at the entrance of the Great Hall, candles floating above the ceiling that was charmed to look like the night sky, students buzzing with laughter, already started their meals, he was sitting at the Slytherin table with his friends. Almost 24 hours had passed, and you had no idea what would happen now. You wanted to ignore him, so you turned your gaze back to Harry, who was still talking about the lesson,

“I have no idea why they still give us homework, we fought a fucking war, and we won it! I’m sure that would have to be enough to let us off of homework for our last year,” he was grumbling,

“Well, _nothing_ is more important than homework, you know that,” you replied sarcastically, moving towards the Gryffindor table. You tried not to look towards the table the blonde was sitting at, but evidently Ron was not as resilient as you were,

“Look Y/N, he’s looking at you,” he said as he was about to take the seat opposite you. You had purposely chose to sit with your back towards the Slytherin table.

“I don’t want to look, stop it!” You silently protested,

“Okay, okay, I thought you’d be excited to see him,” he said, lifting his hands up,

“Oh Ron, she’s as confused as all of us,” Hermione said, slightly slapping him on his upper arm.

“Yeap, I am, and I just want to eat, I’m starving,” you said, widening your eyes in desperation, as you scooped some mash on to your plate. You hadn’t noticed Ginny coming in, until she said hi to all of you. She looked at you expectedly after hugging Harry, you made a face, trying to tell her that nothing had happened silently, thankful that she understood your silent gesture.

Supper was cheerful, you felt content now that you were feeling full, you were just about to dive into some profiteroles when you suddenly felt your friends sitting opposite you tense up, and go quiet. You looked up at them, and just as you were about to ask them what was wrong, you heard him.

“Y/L/N.” _Ice_. It was like a whole bucket of ice had been poured down your head. You turned around, to confirm his identity.

“Malfoy.” Of course it was him. You looked up at him, expectedly, your heart racing with adrenaline, not knowing what would happen next.

“Could we have a word?” he asked, eyeing your friends, not looking at you,

“Um, of course,” you said, waiting for him to say something.

“ _Alone_ ,” he added, finally looking at you. You were taken aback, turning to check your friends to see their reactions, but they seemed as dumbfounded as you.

“Oh, okay,” you replied, he was awkwardly waiting, with his hands in his pockets. There was silence in the air, he cocked his head towards you, in expectation,

“Oh yes, of course, I’ll just-” turning to your friends, you spoke “I’ll be back.” You said this part with more confidence. Standing up, you returned your gaze to the serpent waiting for you,

“Lead the way, then,” you said and he nodded, and started to walk. You moved consequently.

Leaving the buzz of the hall felt great. You walked beside him, with no question. The thought of students that saw you leaving the Great Hall together, and walking side by side in the corridors was something you would worry about the next day. You exited the castle, stepping out into the courtyard, exhilarated by the feel of cool air that hit you.

He led you towards the outer walls of the building. Stopping when he found a quiet spot, a spot sheltered from the night breeze. Light emulating from the castle windows gave the spot you were standing in, a slight illumination.

He gave his back to the castle walls, putting up one leg in the process to support himself. You waited for him to say something, instead he took out a silver cigarette case from his pocket, taking out a cigarette from inside. He offered you one, so you took it. He cocked an eyebrow with interest. You needed to feel the nicotine in your body, your nerves were wrecked. He put the case back in his pocket and pulled out a lighter, lighting his cigarette. The small flames lighted his face for a second, giving you a chance to see the melancholic expression he had. Pulling a deep breath from it, he passed on the lighter to you. You brought it up to your face, lighting the cigarette he had offered you, also pressing your back to the cold castle wall in the process. You smiled when you felt the smoke in your lungs, it calmed you. _That was the great thing about magic_ , you thought, you could rid the negative effects of smoking with it. After standing in the dark for a few moments, breathing in unison, you decided to break the silence,

“So?” You asked.

“Sorry?” He answered, seemingly confused as to where the question came from.

“You said you wanted to have a word with me,” you replied, not looking at him, focusing on the small light at the end of your cigarette.

“Well, I hadn’t seen you all day,” he said, with a straight voice. Your eyebrows formed a confused position. You didn’t answer, letting the silence form between you again. As you lifted your hand to take another breath of the heavy smoke, he made a comment,

“I preferred the hair pin.” You noticed the starfish bracelet on your wrist, the charms making small tingling sounds with your movements.

“Oh, I thought you were more of a brooch person,” you replied with a hint of sarcasm in your voice,

“True,” he scoffed, slowly starting to show signs of amusement. You paused before answering, whatching the smoke evaporate into the night sky.

“You’ve changed,” you managed to say, still not looking at him.

“You have too,” he replied,

“How?”

“Well, you’re standing outside the castle walls, smoking with a Slytherin,” you laughed at his answer silently, though loud enough for him to hear,

“And you’re standing by a Gryffindor, commenting on her hair pin,”

“Oh don’t remind me!” He answered mockingly, even though you weren’t looking at him, you could feel him rolling his eyes.

“Fuck you!” You exclaimed as you laughed, noticing your cigarette almost coming to an end. The pair of you laughed, not a big laugh, but a long and cheerfull laugh. A kind of laugh you would share with someone you felt safe with. You took the last breath of your cigarette, putting it out against the wall, placing the butt in your pocket to throw away when you found a bin.

“I should be going,” you said, not wanting to leave, but feeling like you must. He didn’t say anything, he just took your hand, and pulled you in for a kiss. Your heart dropped, not expecting this at the least. You could taste peppermint and the nicotine in his mouth. You moved your heads in unison, confiding into each other. He was the one to pull back,

“Good night Y/L/N,” he said,

“Good night Malfoy,” was all you could say, before you let go of his hand, leaving him beneath the castle walls, to light another cigarette all by himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had never intended for this fic to be such a long slowburn but yet, here we are! I hope you are enjoying the ride 🍃

_Hogsmeade_. Thinking of the day ahead of you had made you leave the castle with joy and excitement. _Finally_ , you thought.

You had deeply missed the small village. You had not been back since the battle, and that was not the way you wanted to remember it, you wanted to cherish every small detail the village had. Although today, every single detail seemed to bear a certain platinum blonde within it. It felt like you saw him everywhere you looked. You were starting to accept the thoughts you had about the boy, starting to believe the sincerity in his actions towards you. However, there was still the other side of you, trying to suppress and reject every single thought you had about him. The owl, that brought you another dried starfish during breakfast this morning, did not help with the constant battle going on in your head. You noticed that you were actually hoping to see him today.

You headed towards the Three Broomsticks with your friends, filling with joy at the thought of sitting and freely chatting with them, and sharing a drink, even though it was before noon.

“Merlin’s beard I need a drink!” You exclaimed,

“Bloody hell Y/N, It’s not even midday yet,” Ron answered from beside Hermione as they walked hand-in-hand.

“Well I’ve never seen that stopping you,” Harry rolled his eyes as he smiled.

“I wouldn’t say no to a drink,” Ginny said, a smirk growing on her face, “Lets all get shit faced before noon, and enjoy our hangovers for the rest of the day tomorrow!”

“Deal,” said Hermione, Ron was surprised at his girlfriend’s response,

“Okay then,” he said, cheering up as you all finally arrived at the Three Broomsticks, opening the door for everyone. It was already filled with students, who were enjoying a late breakfast or sipping on their butterbeers. You found a table to fit the five of you, and Harry headed off to get you all drinks, taking Ron with him to help. You watched your friends, slightly smiling, noticing how they were also starting to feel younger, or more like their age to be clear. Drinking before noon was such a typical act teenagers would do, it gave all of you a buzz of excitement.

“Oooh,” you exclaimed joyously, as you saw Harry and Ron carrying the glasses filled with fire whiskey towards your table, “we are going to get fucked aren’t we?” You wickedly grinned.

“Yes, yes we are,” Hermione said as she took the glass Ron was handing him, “I just hope none of the Professors decide to come in and see us,”

“Hermione we’re all legally allowed to drink, it’s fine,” Harry said, rolling his eyes at her comment.

“Yes, but it’s a bad image to have,” she said slightly nodding her head, as though she was having second thoughts.

“Cheers! Cheers to being alive and being loved and having each other and being back at Hogwarts!” Ginny lifted her glass to chant the words she had been saying every single time you had drank together since being back at school. Just as you had lifted your drink, you heard the door of the tavern open, your eyes automatically turning towards the door and that’s when you locked eyes with him. The Prince of Slytherin. It was like time stopped for a millisecond, and only the two of you existed. Your surroundings slowing down, and sounds muffling. You quickly snapped out of it, clinking your glass with your friends, hoping they hadn’t noticed the small escape you had just experienced. You gulped down the whole glass of the drink, realising he hadn’t walked in alone. _Parkinson_ , you thought as you watched the brunette entering the tavern beside him. Shaking off the feeling creeping over you, you turned to your friends,

“Who’s ready for seconds?” You asked as you got up, getting ready to head to the bar.

“Wait on Y/N,” Ginny said as she downed her drink and joined you, the both of you got your second drinks, chatting, the whiskey running through your veins. You noticed Malfoy was seated a few tables across yours as you returned to where your friends were carrying on with their drinks. You and your friends had always been aware of his presence up until now, but you could never have known that the awareness you carried would change into something completely different. An awareness that made you want to be closer to him, not the kind full of resent.

As you carried on with your drinks, at a normal pace after the first, you couldn’t keep yourself from occasionally checking what the platinum blonde was doing. He seemed stiff, talking with desperation to Parkinson sitting across him whenever your glance turned towards his table. However, when you saw him leaning towards her over their table, you felt this emotion take over,

“Do you think Malfoy and Parkinson have a thing?” You said out loud, your elbow on the table, resting your head on your left hand, turning your gaze towards your drink as you swirled it in your other hand.

“Y/N please don’t start jealousy bantering about Malfoy, I really don’t think my head can handle anymore this week,” Harry whined, gulping down another sip of whiskey,

“I’m not _jealous_!” You scoffed to the table, as your friends all seemingly lifted their eyebrows at the same time. “I’d have to have feelings for him to be jealous,” you added, tutting and nodding your head in disbelief.

“Don’t you?” Ron slurred his words, narrowing his eyes at you, you felt the whiskey in your system starting to take control,

“Well maybe, I’m fucked up or maybe I’ve got a saviour complex and I want to fix him, maybe I’m into bad boys, maybe I want to explore him, maybe I despise him, maybe I want to marry him, maybe I just want to have some fun,” you felt your friends tense up, Hermione widening her eyes, Ginny giving you a kick from across the table, but it didn’t stop you, on the contrary, your voice got louder and louder with each word, “maybe I ache for him, or maybe I just want to fuck the soul out of him-” You finished off, as you heard someone clear their throat from beside you. You wished you had read the table, but the alcohol had already taken over. _Dread_ , was all you could feel. You didn’t have to lift your head to know who the sound belonged to. So you decided to act as jolly as you could, trying to hide the fact that you wanted to die with embarrassment and humiliation.

“Ah, Malfoy,” you said, lifting your head to look at him, trying to manage the largest fake smile you could.

“Y/L/N,” he nodded his head, and you knew, you just knew, that if your friends weren’t watching you intently, he would be laughing his head off, mocking your words. You looked at your friends who seemed equally amused and embarrassed at the same time, not letting go of the huge fake smile that seemed plastered on your face. You knew this encounter would be the story of the week, already imagining them laughing about this in the Common Room. You turned towards the blonde who was standing on your left, _How the hell didn’t I see him_ , you thought, kicking yourself for being such an idiot.

“I was just, umm, you see, I was talking about this very important, err, book I have been reading. So, I guess..argh fuck..Umm, you were about to say something I think?” You managed, gesturing your hands towards him clumsily. Your slightly drunken mind trying to handle the situation, but you had a feeling you had only made it worse.

“A book?” You could hear the sarcasm and amusement that was dripping from his mouth. He took a hand from out of his pocket and ran them through his perfectly styled hair. “I needed to talk about the homework Slughorn gave us,” you couldn’t resist him, not after seeing those fingers run through his hair. _Who the hell thought drinking in the bleaming day was a good idea_ , you thought, only to remember it was you.

“Okay, lead the way,” you mockingly gestured your hands towards the door. Standing, and silently mouthing _I’ll be back_ , to your friends. They all looked slightly drunk, embarrassed for you, amused and shocked at the same time. You walked towards the back exit.

He opened the door for you, as he placed his left hand on the small of your back, making your whole body go numb at his touch. You stepped outside, into the alley way between the small triangular buildings, knowing deep down, that you would never be able to say no to him. The Serpent had infiltrated your soul. You rested your back on the brick wall, he took the wall opposite you, the narrow alley way standing between you,

“Slughorn never gave us any homework,” you smirked, crossing your arms,

“I know,” he said returning your grin,

“Let me guess, you needed to see me?” You sneered at him,

“And I didn’t catch you turning down my offer,” he answered back, enjoying the reaction you gave when he said the words, furrowing your brows, pursing your lips, shaking your head in a mocking way.

“Well, you said homework, and here I am,” you lifted your hands acting like you had no idea what he was saying. You could feel the alcohol making you feel hazy. He scoffed, pushing his tongue from the inside of his cheek towards his bottom gum, curling it back in his mouth. Oh what that look made you feel, you wouldn’t be able to find the words, you weren’t even sure if those words ever existed.

“You were talking about a book, back there,” he lifted his eyebrows, expecting you to complete the sentence,

“Yes, it’s a great book, and I was reciting a monologue of the main character to my friends. Truly a great piece of literature,” you managed, trying to fill confidence into your words, not sure if you were successful.

“Oh? Which book?” He took a step closer, and you wanted to sink in deeper to the wall you had your back on, he knew there was no book,

“Romeo and Juliet,” you thought of the first piece of literature you could think of. _İdiot_. But you were relieved when he slightly cocked his head to the side, a confused look on his face. Of course, how would Malfoy know about Muggle literature?

“It’s Shakespeare. His work is truly captivating.”

“I’d love to borrow this ‘Romeo and Juliet’. When you’re finished with it of course,” you wished he wouldn’t smirk when he said that, taking another step closer.

“Of course, I’ll let you know when I’ve finished,” you put back on the huge, fake smile you had on in the tavern.

“That would be great,” he replied, knowing there was no book, knowing who you were talking about, knowing he was making you uncomfortable with every step he took towards you. So you did the logical thing to do, well at least you did the thing that the alcohol was telling you to do, you stepped towards him, closing the gap between you, grabbing his head with your hands, and you planted a harsh kiss on his lips. He was shocked at first, but he let himself go when he felt your hand move towards his hair, melting into you. Peppermint. _How could he always taste of peppermint?_ You thought, as your hand tugged on his short hair. His hands, gripped hold of your waist, pulling you closer to him, deepening the kiss.

“Fuck,” you breathed out, resting your nose on his, looking down at his lips, both trying to catch your breath, taking a moment to process what you were doing. You stood there for a while, his arms around your waist, while yours were around his neck, breathing into each other, your foreheads connected.

“You’re drunk Y/N” he said, letting out a silent laugh,

“I’m not that drunk, I know what I’m doing,” you smiled,

“I don’t think you have any idea what you’re doing to me,” he mumbled as he kissed you again. _Change_. You brushed your fingers against his neck, wanting to feel the texture. You felt his breath hitching at your touch, and just as you were about to comment on it, you heard a voice from behind you, making you and the blonde boy freeze,

“Oh so people talking about seeing you two together were correct,” you knew who it belonged to. You could never mistake her unique tone, so you turned your head to look at her, freeing yourself from Malfoy’s touch,

“Hey Luna,” you smiled awkwardly,

“I should get going,” Malfoy said, moving towards the back door of Three Broomsticks, disappearing from sight before you could say anything to stop him. You turned to Luna, deciding to make things smooth, she was looking at the door where the blonde had just entered,

“We were just drinking with the gang, want to join us? We couldn’t see you at breakfast this morning,” You asked her,

“I was feeding the thestrals. Since when has Draco Malfoy been a part of the 'gang’?” She asked calmly, seeming sincerely curious,

“Oh no, Luna he’s not. It’s just… I’ll tell you everything,” you said, linking your arm with hers, pulling her towards the tavern, you wanted to get away from the alley way as fast as you could.

“What were you doing out here anyway?” You asked her suddenly noticing why she was out there, all by herself,

“I just needed a fresh piece of air,” she simply answered, you were about to reply, but you also remembered the first sentence she had formed before you noticed her,

“Luna, what did you mean when you said people were talking about us?” You asked her, stopping in front of the door before you returned to your friends. All you could feel was panic,

“Oh, they talk about seeing you two walk together, that’s all. That’s enough of a shock for them, seeing you side by side. But I see it’s more than that,” she explained. You felt your stomach clench with anxiety. People loved to gossip, you were thankful it was Luna who had seen you.

“Let’s go shall we?” You asked as you opened the door, entering the tavern, joining your friends with Luna by your side. You noticed the Prince of Slytherin had already left, making you feel slightly disappointed. The rest of the afternoon seemed to fly by, in a haze. You briefly told your friends about what had happened, not wanting to be dishonest towards them. You carried on drinking, trying to suppress all the thoughts making their way through your mind.

But at one point, you noticed something. A tiny detail, that made butterflies fly in the pit of your stomach. He had called you by your first name. You smiled foolishly, allowing yourself to enjoy the revelation, holding tightly on to the starfish in your pocket.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide to send Draco Malfoy a small gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m loving deep diving into the post war, angsty teenage awkwardness, and I want to progress their relationship in a solid way, not wanting to rush anything 🍃

You were leaving the Three Broomsticks with your friends, getting ready to head back to the castle. The alcohol buzzing through your veins, and the adrenaline from making out with Malfoy rushing through your system. The five of you were drunk out of your minds, giggling and stumbling, not regretting the decision. You could still hear the boy’s voice saying your name, you could still feel the strands of his silky hair in your fingers, taste the peppermint on his breath. You stopped,

“Hey, I’ve got something to do, don’t wait up for me!” You yelled at your friends, not being able to control your voice.

“Are you sure?” Harry asked,

“Yes, certainly I’ll be fine, I’ll join you in the Common Room,” you said as you left them, heading towards Honeydukes, trying to hide how much you were out of your mind, not trying to hide your smile. You easily found your way, and opened the shop door. You took a moment to take in the smell of the small shop that you adored. The shelves were full of sweets, but today, you weren’t browsing mindlessly. You knew what you were looking for. And your search didn’t last long. You smiled as your fingers touched the small tin, content with the item you had found. You headed towards the till, the alcohol not letting you conceal your excitement.

~

When you got back to the castle, you didn’t want to waste your time, running to the Owlery. You wanted to shriek with joy whilst you were moving. _The alcohol_ , you thought. You decided to slow down when you arrived at the steep steps going up the tower, afraid you may trip. Your feet slowed down, but your heart never did. Trying not to startle any of the owls, you entered calmly, heading towards a school owl. You took the package you had purchased from Honeydukes, with a note attached to it, from your bag, tying it onto the small brown bird’s leg. You slightly petted the owl,

“This is for Malfoy,” you whispered quietly and you weren’t sure if it was your drunken mind, or if the bird cocked it’s head in disbelief. Letting out a laugh,

“Yes, I do know it’s unheard of,” you said quietly, “but people do change.” And you imagined him coming here, giving packages to the owls, the packages he prepared for you. You smiled at the image that came to your mind. You stepped out of the dome, watching the scenery for a while, wondering what the blonde boy was doing. You thought of the note as you started to go down the steps,

_“Meet me after breakfast, at our tree.”_

~

“Hey hey hey, come along and join us Y/N” you heard Ginny’s voice come from across the Common Room. Your friends had found a comfy spot in the corner, waving you towards them.

“Where have you been? Although I’m not sure if I want to know the answer,” Hermione laughed as she took a turn on the chess game Ron and her were playing.

“Oh never mind,” you giggled, still feeling the high of all the fire whiskey you had drank, still not regretting it. You could see your friends still feeling it too. So you joined them, enjoying yourself, excited for the next day to come, losing yourself in laughter, and occasionally letting yourself dream of Malfoy, the boy who delivered starfish.

~

You felt eager, along with a generous serving of anxiety. It was a lovely Sunday morning, Hermione had made your terrible whiskey headache vanish, as always, and you had smiled at the platinum blonde boy whilst he walked towards the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. He had seemed to choose a closer spot to where you were sitting this morning. And you hadn’t sat with your back turned to him, preferring to face him. You had barely eaten, drinking almost three cups of tea -black with no sugar- watching the entrance waiting for the post to arrive. You let out a relieved sigh when you saw the crowd of owls entering the Hall. Ready to drop letters and parcels to the students who were waiting eagerly.

However, the Prince of Slytherin was not waiting for any mail. He was casully sipping on his coffee, scribbling something in the notebook he had on the table when the small, brown owl landed in front of him. It pointed out it’s leg, waiting for him to untie it, patiently. You were watching him, wanting to see the expression on his face as he opened up the parcel. He took out the small tin first, the tin filled with peppermint straws. _For the boy who always tastes of peppermint_ , you thought as he opened the lid, taking one out. Suddenly, he looked up and locked eyes with you, slowly bringing the candy up to his mouth and popping it in, with a filthy look on his face.

You felt your cheeks turning red, not being able to believe the affect he had on you. He swirled the candy in his mouth, turning his gaze back to the note that remained unread. He opened it, where it had been folded in half. And finally, after what felt like eternity, he lifted his gaze back up, to look straight at you and he simply nodded. You had gotten your answer, you couldn’t keep back your smile, smiling foolishly at the boy. He responded with a genuine smile, a smile that you had rarely seen on his face. He gestured his hands as if to tell you to hurry up with your breakfast, so you shaked out of your trance, nodding and widening your eyes as if to tell him, that you would eat. You managed to eat breakfast, with the blonde boy on the opposite table. It was like you were both sharing the same table, eating together even though there was a distance between you. When you decided you had finished, you stood up, taking your mug full of warm tea into your hand.

Malfoy looked up at you, and you lifted the mug up, pointing to it, then towards the door with your head. He understood what you meant, refilling his cup with coffee, packing his stuff up and putting the small tin in his pocket. Seeing him getting ready to leave, you moved towards the exit. But as you were about to carry on, something stopped you. You wanted to walk with him, so you waited. Getting your wand out and charming your mug with a small spell, to keep it warm. You smiled at him, when he arrived beside you, he smiled back.

“Oh, hold your mug towards me,” he did and you mumbled the same spell to keep his coffee warm aswell. You felt excitement in your stomach, the smell of coffee filling your nose and your eyes taking in the Prince of Slytherin, who was wearing the signature, tight black suit, with an even tighter black shirt underneath. You wondered how the buttons didn’t snap against his chest.

“Shall we?” He asked, gesturing towards the exit. You smiled,

“Yes, let’s leave this place,” you said as you both started to walk towards the lake. You could feel students eyes on you, as you were moving side by side with the platinum blonde, trying not to spill any of your tea on to the ground. You could have sworn that the boy beside you seemed almost.. proud to be walking with you. You weren’t sure. Silence filled between you, and you were relieved when you arrived at your tree. Away from everyone, only belonging to the both of you. You pulled a blanket out of your bag, making him lift his eyebrows. You lay the blanket on the ground,

“That’s better,” you said, taking a spot on the blanket. He nodded his head in disbelief, and sat beside you. Leaving a distance between the both of you, a distance that could be easily closed, you noticed. Close enough to smell his cologne, far enough to watch those eyes that belonged to him.

“So?” He said, mimicking you,

“Well, it’s a lovely Sunday, so I thought we could enjoy it together,” _Together_. The word swang in the air. “I hope you have the time?” You asked him, wanting to fill in the silence.

“Yes, plenty.” He said simply, with a smile in his eyes. “Thank you for the sweets, how did you know I like peppermint?” He asked.

“Let’s just say, I have a taste for these kind of things,” you grinned, recalling the peppermint scented kisses you had previously shared. Suddenly, he leaned in and before you could react, he lifted his left arm, and brushed his fingers against the starfish pin you had in your hair. You held your breath, as he whispered in to your ear,

“I prefer the hair pin,” he said, softly holding a strand of your hair in his fingers for a moment before he pulled back. You closed your eyes, trying to return your breath to it’s normal pace. You opened them, taking a sip from your tea you were holding in your hands, not wanting to immediately make eye contact with him. Scared he would see how much control he had over you. He scoffed and took a sip of his coffee.

“You know, I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve shit talked behind your back,” you felt the sudden urge to say this, nervously laughing.

“Well, same here Y/L/N. Plans of evil and all that crap as well,” he replied back, letting out a nervous laugh. You caught him looking at you from the corner of his eye, as if to see your reaction. You returned his laugh,

“Well I guess that was a journey we had to take, I genuinely enjoy spending time with you Malfoy. No matter what happened in the past, I believe we’ve both seen enough to know that sometimes, it’s best to let go, and forgive.”

“I’m aware that I’ve done some questionable things before, but I’m sorry for it all. I’m trying to change Y/L/N. And maybe that’s why I’m drawn to you, your acceptance gives me hope, that people can change.” He stopped not knowing what to say next. You didn’t know what to say. So you just sat there for a moment, watching the lake, taking in the September sunshine, letting the words sink in.

“Tell me everything,” you said breaking the silence,

“Like what?” He asked, taking a sip of the coffee, that was still warm thanks to the spell you had cast,

“Everything! For instance, how do you feel when you wake up? What is your favourite wine? What music do you listen to when you feel sad? Your happiest childhood memory, your most embarrassing memory-” he scoffed at that,

“I _never_ get embarrassed Y/L/N.”

“Hah, see I can recall a few instances that you have been in an embarrassing situation. Don’t forget, I do know you Draco Malfoy. I’ve known you since the moment you stepped foot to this school. So, no false answers” you grinned wickedly, enjoying yourself as he shaked his head rolling his tongue in his cheek, towards the front of his bottom teeth, rolling it back in his mouth. You couldn’t believe how much that simple gesture affected you, you wished he would stop doing it.

“Okay, deal. I’ll tell you everything, every small detail that you want to know, even the details you may not want to know. But, you’ll have to tell me everything too Y/L/N. Your passions and desires, your dreams and your regrets, everything that makes you, you.” You gently smiled, your heart filling with compassion towards the boy sitting next to you. He looked so out of place on the burgundy blanket he was placed upon, in his black sharp suit with his hair perfectly styled.

“Deal.” You answered, lifting your hand between the space between you, expecting him to shake it. He looked at your small hand, and curled his fingers around it. You shaked hands under the tree. You both let your fingers linger a second more before pulling them back.

“First question,” he said looking at the lake, holding his mug with his right hand, grasping it with his fingers from the brim of it, “why do you like starfish so much?” He asked clearly, not looking at you, his gaze still on the lake that lay ahead of you. You took in a deep breath before answering,

“I grew up by the seaside. My family and I loved collecting seashells. Finding seashells was easy, they were everywhere but starfish, they were something rare to find. So whenever any of us found one, we would sing this song we made up about starfish. It’s silly I know. And they just ended up being an important part of my childhood. So I guess I like to carry them to remember to find happiness in the smallest things and that all grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it. That’s actually from the Little Prince,” you paused, guessing the pure-blood had probably never heard of it before, “it’s Muggle literature.” You explained, whilst finding one of the starfish the boy had given you from your bag, pulling it out and showing it to him,

“So thank you, for helping me remember that we were all once children, and being a part of the small pockets of happiness I try to find throughout the day.” You finished off, Malfoy seemed like he was out of words,

“You’re amazing,” he blurted, looking like he was equally as surprised as you were. You furrowed your brows, awkwardly smiling,

“I really am not,” you managed, slightly shaking your head.

“Okay okay, let’s just assume I never said that,” he laughed silently, widening his eyes.

“Great idea,” you suddenly became quiet, wanting to ask him the question that had been in your head for a while, “Are you sure you want to be spending time with a _mudblood_?” The word hurt, instantly bringing back times he himself had called you the word, remembering the tone he used to say it. A hurt look appeared on his face,

“I’m sorry for all those years Y/N. I wish I could take back time and change all that bullshit that was implemented into my head, making me hurt people, whilst also hurting myself in the process. I’ve witnessed the pain it can cause, I’ve suffered from the consequences and I still am. I want to leave all that crap behind. I’m sorry for being the way I was, I’m trying, I really am, and I’ll understand if you decide not to talk to me again, I’m even lucky to have had all the interactions we’ve had,” he said with broken eyes, his body seeming to shrink, like he wanted to disappear. _Change_. Changing was hard and it hurt in the process,

“You should have been in Gryffindor,” you smiled sadly, reaching out to give his hand a reassuring squeeze, wanting to let him know, you had no intention of leaving any time soon, wanting him to know everything may not be perfect, but this was just living.

“Why?” He asked, confused as to why you would reply with such a sentence.

“Because it takes true courage to change.”

“Thank you,” he silently murmured,

“Now it’s your turn, tell me something, anything” you attempted to subvert the conversation,

“Give me a bit of help then Y/L/N, I don’t know where to begin,”

“What’s the first thing that comes to your mind?” You asked, happy to be in the company of him.

And the both of you talked and conversed for the rest of the day, until the sun returned to it’s home, opening up about every little detail that meant a lot, and every little detail that meant nothing, under the tree. The tree that made you one.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry suggests you to a ask a question to Malfoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve never added a disclaimer up untill now, but all the characters I write are +18, just to let you guys know if you hadn’t noticed yet. hope you enjoy!

Hours chased the days, the days chased weeks, the weeks forming months. Your life was a constant current between lessons, homework, your friends and Draco Malfoy. The bond between the boy and you strengthened, stealing moments from your everyday life, escaping from crowds to converse, to stay silent, to become one in a way you had never experienced before. He had been the enemy, the opposite direction up until now and as you both evolved, every single piece seemed to fit perfectly into one. The first Sunday you shared together, had became the first of many. Both of you would always be eager for the day that was now a small tradition between you. You would either sit by the lake, or if it was a cold and rainy day, you would confide in the library, studying and working on homework, making an effort to bring food with you, for you had noticed the boy would not eat. Day by day, his appetite grew for the snacks you would bring for him, your compassion for the Silver Serpent growing equally as time passed.

You couldn’t imagine a day, without seeing him. Not everyday it was, that you would speak and spend time together, but all you needed was a glance in your direction and the day would suddenly become magical. The gap you felt in your soul seemed to reduce, the more time you spent together. But it never left, always there. A void you felt like could never be filled.

Sometimes, he would steal you away from the Great Hall after dinner, and you would share a cigarette, along with stolen kisses that only belonged to the both of you. You liked to hold on to him under the tree that made you one, when no one was around, stroking his hair, pulling in his scent, feeling you were at home and safe. He really liked those days, resting his head on your chest, surrendering himself into your arms, hugging you tightly, as if to never let go.

Potions had became a subject that you adored. The seating plan had never changed, and you were grateful. Not every potion you made was a success with him, but every interaction you shared was a grace.

December had came and Christmas was in the air, the castle decorated, students tingling with excitement, leaving you confused as to how fast these few months had passed. You were leaving the D.A.D.A. tower after class with the trio, heading for dinner, feeling drained after the lesson you had just had,

“I’ve told my parents I’m staying here by the way,” Hermione said, hand in hand with her ginger boyfriend,

“Yeah, me too, though Mum was kind of disappointed” Ron replied,

“It’s our last Christmas at the castle together, I’m sure she’ll forgive us,” Harry grinned, “but I am a tiny bit worried that she’ll send a Howler to us all, to tell us the amount of disappointment she’s feeling,” he added, widening his grin as he looked at his friend,

“Piss of Harry,” Ron laughed, punching him on the upper arm in a mocking way. The ginger turned to look at you,

“So Y/N, what’s your boyfriend doing for the holidays?” He snickered, raising an eyebrow,

“Oh Ron, we’ve been over this, he’s not my bloody boyfriend,” you answered with an exhaustive manner.

“Ron please, they’re married,” Harry joined in, his tone full of mischief.

“Bloody hell Harry, don’t you start too,” you whined, dragging your feet across the floor.

“No, but really what is Malfoy doing over Christmas?” Harry asked, turning the sarcasm in his voice into a more serious tone,

“He mentioned he’d be with his parents,” you shrugged.

“Why doesn’t he stay?” Harry cocked an eyebrow at you.

“I don’t know, I guess he wants to celebrate with his family,” Harry lowered his head at your words, pulling a face of disbelief,

“Do you really think he wants to spend time with that family, in that fucking manor?” He asked, seeming slightly agitated. Flashbacks of your time in the gloomy building flooded into your mind. Your memories at the Manor weren’t pleasant. However it was the first time Malfoy had showed a slight change of heart, acting like he hadn’t recognised Harry when he saw him there. _He’s come a long way_ , you thought.

“He hasn’t really mentioned anything, so I had never really put any thought into it,” you mumbled, trying to shove away the agony and despair that the memories of the place were giving you. “And Harry, this obsession you and Malfoy have for each other has to be resolved one way or another,” you laughed, making Hermione and Ron join in.

“No, but seriously, you should ask him to stay,” Harry repeated.

“And?” You lowered your head raising both your eyebrows,

“We could celebrate Christmas together,” Harry shrugged. You were surprised. Although Harry would be the one to give anyone the chance to change. He had a golden heart, you were grateful to have him as your friend.

“Are you sure?” You checked, giving him one last opportunity to step back from his suggestion,

“Yes, you two have been spending time together for what seems ages now, and he seems to make you happy. Maybe he does deserve a second chance. All of us do,” he replied. You let out a relieved breath, your heart filling with compassion.

“Wow, thank you.” Was all you could manage, trying to shake back some tears, before you turned to look at Ron and Hermione,

“And would you guys be okay with this?”

“I guess, we’ll see what happens,” Hermione said with confidence, nodding her head. Ron shrugged,

“Yes, the idea is repulsive, but whatever the boss says,” he pointed towards his girlfriend,

“Oh stop it Ron,” Hermione sighed,

“Only joking, we get to see if he mistreats Y/N, and it gives us the opportunity to smash his head in, whilst the castle is quiet during the holidays,”

“Ron!” You and Hermione both exclaimed whilst Harry was laughing at the suggestion,

“Okay okay, joking,” he lifted his hands, softening his expression, you rolled your eyes, deep down feeling slightly grateful for your friend’s worry.

“And will Ginny be okay with this?” You forwarded the question towards Harry,

“We’ve already discussed it,” he grinned,

“Of course you have,” you smiled back. “Okay, I’ll ask him, and I guess we’ll see what happens.”

“Tell him to bring some fire whiskey if he’s joining us,” Ron said,

“Oh piss off Ron,” you mockingly scolded him. Feeling a sting of excitement at the bottom of your stomach, you wanted to find Malfoy and ask him immediately, wanting to know his answer, curious as to how things would go, if he did stay.

~

Dinner was delicious, but you couldn’t focus on the food, your eyes scouring the Hall, waiting for him to arrive. But he never did. The question you were hoping to ask him, growing and growing inside of your heart every second your eyes couldn’t see him. You realised you wanted him to join your friends for Christmas, you wanted to walk around the empty corridors of the castle, away from prying eyes. Your fingers were playing with the cutlery restlessly, when you couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m going to find him,” you found yourself standing up, grabbing your bag. Your friends knew who you were talking about, waving to you as you headed towards the exit of the Hall, deciding to go to the dungeons, hoping to find him in the dorm belonging to his house. The air in the castle seemed to get cooler and cooler with each step you took towards the bottom of the castle. _This should not be where students should be staying_ , you thought. Musing how unfair it was that your house was staying in the highest level of the castle, whilst other students were basically left to rot in the dungeons. You slowed down your steps, feeling unsure. But carrying on nonetheless. You stopped when you reached the Portrait to the Common Room, reminiscing your second year. Not knowing what to do next, you looked around you, expecting to see another student that may help you. You weren’t certain how long you had waited in front of the portrait, before you saw two students, who you recalled were from the second or third year,

“Hey,” you said awkwardly, amazed as to what you were about to request from them.

“I was just going to ask you guys, that if Malfoy is inside, could you tell him that I’m waiting for him?” They both looked at each other, grinning,

“We had heard the gossip, but seeing it with our own eyes, wooh, that’s an event,” one of them practically whistled,

“Please,” you smiled, hoping it managed to look wishful, not threatful. The pair of them just laughed and followed through the portrait, to their Common Room. You had heard the password, but you weren’t sure if you should just barge in. As you were wondering if they would tell the blonde boy you were looking for him, or if he was even in there, you heard the portrait swing open, revealing the boy who made your heart flutter. You smiled, relieved. He seemed surprised, wearing a pair of black sweat pants, and a white, plain t-shirt, that hang loosely around his figure. You took in the sight, the first time seeing him in ordinary clothes like this.

“Loving the sight Y/N?” He asked with a sly grin on his face, obviously noticing you were staring at his appearance. You were loving it, surprised how good he could look in clothes that were so simple.

“Let’s just say, I’m surprised to see you in regular clothes,” you answered him.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on apparating to Paris for dinner, was I?” He had his hands in his pockets, waiting for you to respond,

“I’d be awfully offended if you ever went without me,” you replied sarcastically,

“I wouldn’t dare.” His eyes were looking at you expectantly. The level of the flirting between you had seemed to rise as the weeks passed, since the pair of you had never addressed the situation that was taking place between you. The time spent together, the compliments, the small touches, the hugs and the kisses. The dynamic between you confused your mind at times, but you chose to follow your heart instead of your mind.

“Stay.” The word simply left your mouth.

“Sorry?”

“Please stay.”

“Y/N, what on earth are you talking about?” His face full of confusement, his voice soft.

“Stay here Draco. For Christmas. Don’t go.” You said with your voice slightly trembling, a sudden feel of despair surrounding your body. “Please don’t go there,” you whispered, the thought of him returning to the Manor making you feel crushed.

“You can stay here with us. Harry suggested it, we can celebrate all together, we’re planning on having a small party, it will be fun, it’s amazing roaming around the almost empty castle during the holidays,” the words seemed to pour out of your lips in a rush. That was when you noticed he was struggling to swallow back tears, trying to look strong.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked timidly.

“Absolutely! Oh but there’s one condition,” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for you to continue. You smiled,

“Ron wants you to bring a bottle of fire whiskey,”

“Oh for fuck’s sake Y/N,” he laughed, the mood softening between you. “Any other conditions I need to fulfill before getting to spend time with your friends?”

“No no, just the fire whiskey,” you grinned,

“Great, because I can’t say I’m bloody looking forward to it,” Your spirits lifted with the revelation,

“So you’ll stay?” You asked him, wanting to jump up and down with glee, but you tried to hold your composure straight,

“Of course Y/N, you asked me to. What other choice do I have?” You suppressed a smile, at least you tried to. The corners of your mouth tugging up unwillingly, betraying you. He returned your smile.

“It’s going to be great,” you said,

“Unless me and Potter don’t end up killing each other until the end of the holidays,” he smugly grinned,

“Oi, that won’t be happening! Not on my watch at least,” you unbelievingly shaked your head. Boys, you thought. Remembering you hadn’t seen him at dinner, you took his hand,

“Come on,” you said, tugging at his hand,

“Where are we going Y/N?”

“I didn’t see you eat this evening, if we hurry we’ll catch the end of supper.”

“I wasn’t feeling hungry,” he said still not moving an inch from where he was standing,

“I don’t care, you can’t go to bed with an empty stomach,”

“Well maybe I’m hungry for something else,” he said, clicking his tongue. You could read the suggestions from his eyes, your heart slightly picking up it’s pace.

“That’s really not going to work,” you tried your best to seem reluctant,

“Thought I’d give it a try, let’s go then,” he shrugged, not breaking eye contact, so you left the entrance of his Common Room, leading him up the stairs towards the Great Hall. The both of you didn’t even notice you were still holding hands untill you reached the top of the stairs. He cleared his throat, as he stopped and when you looked at him, he nodded towards your intertwined hands.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t notice,” you said trying to pull your hand back,

“Neither did I,” and as he was saying it, he lifted your hand towards his lips giving it a small, tentative kiss, your starfish bracelet flickering in the light as he did so. His eyes never released yours, as his lips met and left your hand.

“Lead the way Y/N,” he said as he let you lower your arm downwards.

“Happily.” And you wished you could walk into the Great Hall, carefree, hand in hand. But you knew it wasn’t that easy. So you put the hand he had released into your pocket, holding tightly onto one of the starfish he had sent you.

“What do you say about dinner at the Astronomy Tower?” You asked him, your mind already wondering into what food you should take from the Hall. He stopped, stiffening, his face suddenly darkening.

“No,” he simply said, still not moving an inch. You could see the pain in his eyes. You could almost see Dumbledore’s lifeless body fall from the tower, in them. Your brows furrowed.

“Okay, forget it, what about the Greenhouse? We can sneak in,” you offered, with a small smile, trying to make him forget what you had just suggested.

“That would be convenient,” he replied quietly.

“Alright then. Plus McGonagall has been really easy on us this year, after all that has happened, so even if we do get caught, I doubt we’ll get into any trouble,” He scoffed at that,

“Afraid to get in trouble Y/N?” You could see him slowly returning back to his arrogant self,

“Oh darling, trouble is my middle name,” you couldn’t help yourself give him a mischievous look, he looked adorable in his casual attire. You noticed he only had a t-shirt on, hoping your friends would still be at dinner, so you could borrow a jacket of off one of them. Before he could retaliate to your remark, you continued,

“Wait for me here, I’ll grab us some food,” you turned your back before he could protest, running towards the Great Hall, which was still quite busy, heading to the Gryffindor table, to choose something the blonde would enjoy to eat and forcefully taking Ron’s jacket, not giving him a chance to refuse or resist. Images of a Christmas to be spent with Draco already flooding your mind, making you feel excited and eager for the winter break that was upcoming.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am enjoying writing this so much, I think it’s turning into a novel 😅 Feedback is always appreciated!!

You couldn’t believe how excited you were. You felt like a small kid, who missed sleep in anticipation for the presents they would receive on the morning of Christmas. _2 weeks_. 2 whole weeks to be spent with the boy who delivered Starfish, creating pockets of happiness during the day.

Time had passed torturingly slow after the evening you had asked him to stay with you. And finally, it was time for everyone to leave the castle. You walked through the corridors, already decorated for the holidays, marvelling at how beautiful it looked. Not being able to believe this was where the battle of Hogwarts had unravelled. Remembering the explosions and demolition the castle had endured, the spells and hexes and curses whizzing through the now beautifully decorated corridors. The war left marks, it made you feel empty. You and your friends were trying to get back to normal, as much as you could. Drinking and partying in secrecy, hiding from teachers, although they seemed to turn a blind eye to you this year. All the craziness in an attempt to feel young again. Telling yourselves you drank for fun, for a laugh. But at times you asked yourself if it really was for fun. Wondering if it was a way you all chose for coping. Nonetheless, you had stocked piles of alcohol in your dorm with your friends, in preparation for Christmas. Wanting to get shit faced, to take advantage of the empty castle grounds, to laugh and shout carelessly, not having to worry about anyone being disturbed.

You noticed you were smiling with anticipation as you reached the portrait that opens into your Common Room. There were trunks and chests everywhere, owls in cages, students embracing, wishing each other a merry Christmas. It was utter chaos. You tiptoed across the room to reach the stairs leading up to your dormitory, wishing your classmates and friends you saw a happy holiday, trying not to bump into anyone or trip over a chest. You run up the stairs and closed the door behind you when you reached your shared room. Letting out a relieved sigh when you noticed you were alone.

You headed towards the windowsill, where you had some books you had been using for homework, a quill, a few pieces of parchment and a black box. It wasn’t a large box and it wasn’t a small box. Carved out of mahogany, plain and smooth. You took it into your hands, moving towards your bed, opening the lid and pouring the contents within onto your scarlet sheets before sitting down. Crossing one leg underneath you, as the other hangs down the side of the four-poster bed. You grazed your hand over all the starfish that had been discarded from the box. All the starfish Draco Malfoy had sent you. Reminiscing every single time he surprised and bewildered you. Some where small, some were slightly larger. Some where real starfish, that had been dried, some where delicate jewellery. You had told him not to send you the jewellery, but he wouldn’t listen. Draco Malfoy did as he pleased, to please you. You took a hair pin from the box. It had became one of your favourites. He had sent it to you by an owl, after he had expressed how he preferred the hair pins. It was silver, he only sent silver, the legs of the starfish curling, giving it a lively look, a small emerald in the center, that made it catch the light in the sun. You never used the accessories he gifted you. Selfishly hiding them to yourself, not wanting to share. You jumped when the door opened, trying to hide all the starfish that were sprawled across your bed. Relieved when you noticed it was Ginny. An intrigued look appeared on her face, you could sense her amusement.

“What?” You asked her, as you started to put all your treasures back into the box in a hurry.

“Nothing,” she smiled knowingly, taking a seat on Hermione’s bed. You got up, lifting the box, to place it back on the windowsill. As you carefully placed it back where it belonged, you let your guard drop,

“I really don’t know what to think about him,” you said quietly, looking out of the window over to the school grounds.

“Don’t think then, just feel. We’re Gryffindors, not Ravenclaws. When have we ever thought about anything?” You turned to look at her,

“Can’t really call myself a Gryffindor can I? Sneaking around with a former Death Eater,” you replied, heavy-heartedly, a sad smile forming on your face.

“He’s a fucking git, we all know that, but as you said, a former Death Eater. And we all think we should be giving a second chance to a boy who makes you smile this much. You should see yourself when you’re with him. So maybe you should give him a chance too. Don’t feel bad for catching feelings,” she reassuringly smiled. You sighed, resting your hands behind you, onto the windowsill.

“I can’t even allow myself to think about him properly, without feeling the need to punish myself. But I also can’t stay away from him, he makes me feel so- I don’t know he just makes me feel _stuff_.”

“Well maybe you should be saying all of this to him, not me,” she grinned. The thought of confiding into the platinum blonde about your feelings sent a chill down your spine, scaring you. You brought your hands up, holding your head between them,

“He’s always in here, always,” you grunted,

“Now I know how _that_ feels,” Ginny said.

You sighed and turned back to face the window, trying to calm your mind, your heart racing, the thoughts of Draco filling your head.

~

“It’s going to be a casual party,” you said to him, in the Greenhouse, where you had started to sneak in more often, due to the snow outside. You were seated under a table, your back to the walls of the building. You both liked being under the tall tables of the Greenhouse, it gave you a sense of security, it was odd but you really didn’t care. Your legs sprawled across the scarlet blanket you always had with you when you were to meet up with him, one of his legs, casually draped across yours.

“What do you mean?” He asked quizzically.

“We’ll be in the Common Room, by the fire, sitting on comfy cushions with lots of snacks, lots of drinking, and probably pulling an all-nighter.” You lowered your head expectantly, gesturing towards his figure, waiting for him to understand what you were implying,

“And? Is this you trying to say that you’ve changed your bloody mind and you don’t want me there?” He asked raising an eyebrow,

“No silly, I’m trying to tell you not to wear a bloody suit! We’ll probably all be in our pyjamas,” you laughed, slapping him on the shoulder,

“Oi,” he exclaimed as he playfully slapped you back, on the shoulder, making you laugh in the process.

“Please Draco, no suit, wear something you’ll be comfy in,” you said, grazing the palm of your hand over his suit collar, lightly patting the collar before pulling your hand back, noticing he had traced every move you had made, with his icy gray eyes. The same eyes that found yours, staring into them. The eyes that you could never resist. The eyes that made you lean in and kiss him. Taking your time, not rushing. Knowing that no one would come near.

The students had just left an hour ago, leaving the castle almost empty. _Almost_. You had heard a few Ravenclaws were staying, along with a couple of Hufflepuffs. The Gryffindor Tower was empty except for the five of you. You had made sure it would be with your friends, spreading some rumours making people to be eager to return home for Christmas. You were not sure if any Slytherin’s were staying. The only one you knew of, was right next to you, your lips connected, busy with savouring your mouth. You broke the kiss, causing him to let out a protesting mumble,

“Is anyone staying here from Slytherin?” You asked him, in the gloomy lighting of the Greenhouse due to the terrible weather outside.

“Only a few fourth year students,” he whispered as he leaned back towards you, trying to catch your lips again, so you let him win them back. Letting yourself get lost in him. You thought of what Ginny had said, she was right. When did Gryffindors think about their actions before acting on them? It was truly rare.

His hands started to wander around, one placing itself in your hair, the other at your waist, grabbing you tight. The movement of your lips picking up speed. You couldn’t help a tiny moan escape from your lips as you felt his fingers squeeze the tender skin on your waist. He broke the kiss and chuckled when he heard it.

“Nice to know you’re enjoying yourself Y/N,” he said, biting his bottom lip between the whole set of his front teeth, a wicked sparkle in his eyes. You closed your eyes, and shaked your head before reopening them.

“You know I’m enjoying myself,” you said, slightly frustrated at the loss of his lips. He inched his face away, furrowing his brows, pausing, contemplating on what he was about to say, letting his hand slip free from your hair, lowering it down to place it upon your upper thigh,

“You are one hundred percent sure you want me to come to your Common Room this evening?”

“No, I was planning on abandoning you so you could sulk the entire evening with those fourth year students that are staying,” you stopped, trying to hold back your smile, when you saw the hint of disappointment in his eyes, “Oh of course I’m sure, you bloody idiot. I’ve actually been looking forward to it, if I have to be honest.” He let out a small sigh of relief, circling his fingers over your thigh.

“I’ve been looking forward to it too,” he carried on the rest of his sentence with panic, “for the time spent with you of course, not exactly for Potter and Weasley,” he shuddered dramatically. You couldn’t help but laugh at that,

“Boys,” you said as you rolled your eyes, “it’s going to be fun, a bunch of young people, getting drunk. What can ever go wrong?”

“Everything. _Everything_ can go wrong,” he scoffed. You could understand why he was so tense about the idea. You and the Serpent had resolved and were still resolving all the incidents and problems that had occured in the past years, learning to trust each other, but your friends hadn’t had this chance yet. Harry and Ron had also been on the edge for the past two days. You had made a decision to try and calm the boys down as much as you could with Ginny and Hermione. The three of you were actually quite glad to have some drama in the school year that was flowing by effortlessly, with no Voldemort, no dangerous creatures, no conspiracies and no plotting against the government. So you lifted your arms, placing them over his shoulders, linking your hands behind his neck,

“Nothing will go wrong on my watch, trust me,” you said lowering your voice,

“I guess I fucking have no other choice,”

“No, you fucking don’t. And I love how you surrender to me,” you let a filthy grin form on your face, your mind detailing some images of him in certain situations.

“Don’t mock me Y/N, you’ll be sorry about it,” he said in a devilish tone,

“Oh really, make me,” you challenged him, loving the way you both teased each other. Flirting and snogging for months without actually getting intimate, was starting to agitate the both of you.

“How’s that book going?” He asked, seemingly out of the blue. But you instantly knew what he was talking about, nonetheless, choosing not to acknowledge the fact,

“Which book?” You tried to seem as reluctant as possible,

“I believe it was called Romeo and Juliet,” his tone also carried a tone of innocence. False innocence. You felt your body starting to warm up with embarrassment.

“I’ve never got around to finish it,” you shrugged. You knew why he was bringing the book up, months ago he had heard you talk about hypothetical situations you were making up about him, and one of the sentences that you said was that maybe you wanted to fuck the soul out of him. Well, maybe you did. But you hated him being so smug about it.

“I need to go.”

“What?” He asked, almost shrieking with shock but keeping his composure.

“Some last touches for the party tonight,” you said also remembering the Christmas Eve dinner at the Great Hall, that was usually fun and cosy with a small amount of students.

“Oh and don’t forget about dinner,” you glanced at a clock nearby, surprised to see there was only an hour and a half left. “I’ll pick you up from your dorms at, let’s say, six?”

“You can’t just bloody leave,” he protested,

“I bloody well can,”

“Fine,” he gave up, letting out an annoyed sigh, “anything I need to bring with me?”

“Just yourself, that will be more than enough,” you smirked, taking your stuff, but leaving the blanket on the floor,

“I’ll see you at six,” you added before you were about to leave the glass building,

“Picking me up? You’re spoiling me,” he smiled, his demure softening,

“You deserve to be spoilt,” and you turned around and left, heading to the Common Room, feeling flushed, embarrassed, excited and nervous all at the same time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco is having a hard time choosing what to wear to your Christmas Party, and asks for your help.

You were going down a flight of stairs, heading to pick up the Prince of Slytherin, like you had promised. You had taken a shower after you had left him in the Greenhouse, wanting to feel fresh and clean for the evening. Wearing the softest and pinkest jumper you could find, adding the silver starfish hairpin to your locks. The hairpin that Draco Malfoy himself had gifted you. The first time your mind had decided to use something he had sent. You had completed your look with a pair of black leggings, and some white trainers, complete with some pink fluffy socks that were visible over your leggings. You wanted to be comfortable and you were grateful the school hadn’t prohibited Muggle clothes for dinner. Christmas meant family, friends and coziness in your book, so you were aiming for it to be proper cozy.

The thought of being able to dine, to sit next to the platinum blonde, made all your senses lift. There were barely any other students at Hogwarts, therefore seating beside him would not pull in any attention. So you hoped. Your occasional Sunday meetings at the library never really made anyone glance your way, because basically the whole castle knew you were paired up for potions. Being paired up for a class was enough to create whispers. Two people who hated each other, and were never shy to show that hatred in public, having to work together. Therefore, if anyone asked why you were spending time together, you would just say you were studying, working on assignments, and people would never bat an eye, thinking that you would only spend time with each other, if the situation was truly dire.

The cool air in the lowest floor of the castle started to make its presence prominent as you approached the entrance of Draco’s dorm. _Shit_. You had no idea how you would contact him. You hoped he would appear through the portrait soon. _We really ought to find a better way to communicate_ , you mused as you were waiting. You were making a mental note about researching alternative ways for instantly communicating in the wizarding world, when you heard the portrait swing open. Revealing a very flushed and annoyed looking Draco Malfoy. _Still wearing the bloody suit,_ you thought.

“Come on,” he said as he suddenly stepped towards you, grabbing your hand and pulling you through the portrait before you could protest,

“Draco-” you barely let the words out, confused, dragging behind the blonde boy.

“I need your help,” he said, cutting you off, never turning his head to look at you as he carried on walking. You took in the antique and elegant furniture of his Common Room, the large windows, that allowed you to look across the lake. For a moment, the room actually seemed appealing.

“Someone will see us, and is it even okay for me to be in here?” You asked him, as he passed you through the room in a hurried manner, whilst giving you a chance to actually be amused and smile at the extravagance and luxury of the place. It was like the room was a projection of Draco Malfoy himself.

“The castle is mainly empty Y/N, and everyone’s left for dinner, I’ve checked,” he scoffed, as if to remind you he wasn’t that stupid. You were about to ask him something else, but you stopped when he took out his wand in front of a marvelous looking door, with serpents and ivy carved on what looked like wood of an olive tree to you. You suddenly became aware of what was happening, he was taking you to his room.

“ _Alohomora_ ,” he whispered, which the door responded by unlocking. He pushed it open, and his bedroom was laid right in front of you.

You held your breath, timid by the intimacy of the room. The same four poster beds you had in your dorm, although dark green, velvet curtains covering them, instead of the red ones you were used to. Private belongings of students scattered here and there. You wanted to ask which was his bed. Wondering if you would be able to guess which one it was, before he told you.

He let go of your hand, to close the door, casting a Colloportus charm to re-lock it. Finally taking a closer look at you, eyeing you from head to toe in the gloomy lighting of the room that was mainly caused by the lake that you could see from outside the long narrow windows. His stare lingered a little longer than it should have.

“I need help,” he said, a bit more cockily than he had been acting prior to entering the room.

“Yes, you’ve already mentioned that,” you replied with equal cockiness. He mumbled something under his breath,

“Sorry, I couldn’t quite catch that dear?” You asked him, raising an eyebrow, almost challenging him,

“I don’t know what to wear,” he said in a much clearer voice, but you could hear the slight tone of despair in it. You couldn’t help but let out a snort. Feeling genuinely amused at the thought of the Silver Serpent not being able to dress casually.

“Stop laughing,” he protested as you continued to giggle,

“Okay, okay. I’m fucking sorry, okay?” You cocked your head towards the side, raising your eyebrows trying to place an innocent look onto your face.

“Just choose something for me,” he said, giving up, gesturing towards one of the wardrobes in the far corner of the room. You smiled before you headed over to it. You opened the door, and as soon as you did, the scent of his cologne, infiltrated the room, causing you to forget why you were there for a second. Making you lose yourself in sweet fantasies involving a very blonde Slytherin. You looked towards the bed next to the wardrobe, noticing a ring he sometimes wore on the bedside cabinet. Guessing this was his bed, allowing yourself to imagine the both of you, entangled in the soft sheets, your mind conquered by his scent. You could feel his stare, so you turned your head back to face his wardrobe, trying to take in all the clothes he owned. _Mainly black_ , you thought as you peered in. You let your hand glide over the clothes, feeling their texture. That’s when you noticed a white linen shirt, so you stepped closer to the wardrobe, extending your arm out to retrieve the garment. You knew you could have used magic to go through his clothing, but using your hands felt much more intimate.

You heard his footsteps come up from behind, hearing the mattress creak as he sat beside you, on his bed. You looked at the shirt. It was elegant, but also comfortable. You could imagine him wearing it, on a night out in Tuscany, wandering in the streets, around the old buildings, contrasting them by flaunting his youth. You turned to look at him, with the shirt held out.

“What do you think?” You asked him, starting to feel excited. Seeing him be so flushed and annoyed at the thought of wearing “comfortable” clothing, to spend time with people he called his enemies for years, made you want to choose him something that was not just a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. You could understand the thought of that was making him feel vulnerable, and you wanted the night to flow perfectly. So the linen shirt was a piece that said “ _hey, I’m dressed casually_ ,” and also “ _but I’m a posh little fucker_ ” at the same time, which you thought was suitable for the Prince of Slytherin. You didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable, whilst you forced him to wear comfortable clothing.

You saw a small smirk play at his lips while looking at the shirt.

“I’d love to see you in that, also do you have a pair of jeans?” You asked, a sense of relief circling your body, seeing him smile. He furrowed his brows, contemplating if he did own a pair,

“I think so,” he said, so you decided to search for jeans. Taking you a moment, but you found a black pair at the bottom of his closet, pushed towards the back. _Of course the only fucking pair of jeans he owns are black,_ you smiled to yourself. They were quite skinny, so you let yourself imagine how his beautiful long legs would look in them. You contemplated on what you were about to say for a moment, not sure if you should, but your Gryffindor soul kicked in, and you said it out loud,

“Allow me to dress you,” you said firmly, looking straight into him. You weren’t sure if you were crossing any boundries between the both of you. He didn’t answer verbally, only intently staring at you from where he was seated. You could feel the tension starting to stir in the room. He was nervously shifting his body weight on the mattress, so you took his hand. He held it back, so you guided him to stand up. Once he was standing, you grazed your fingers over his cheek, causing him to shudder. You lowered your fingers down to his collar, lifting your other hand to touch the other side of the collar. Firmly pressing the inside of your palms to his chest as you lowered them down, never breaking your gaze, waiting for him to give you a sign that it was okay. He was breathless under your touch, you could feel it, but he was holding himself back, trying to seem composed and proper. You guided your hands towards the sides of his suit jacket, deep down wanting to rip it off of him, but taking your time, not wanting to scare him.

“May I?” You asked as you gently tugged at the sides of the jacket, he gulped down,

“Sure,” he whispered back with a hoarse voice. So you slowly peeled his jacket off of his slender figure. Carefully setting it on the bed. The smell of his cologne was everywhere, and you wondered if he could smell your perfume, your own nose used to the scent you had on everyday.

The lake was giving the room a virescent look. Draco’s face close to yours, his long features looking down at you. You could see both determination and hesitance in his eyes at the same time. Your fingers reaching the top button of his black dress shirt, starting to unbutton them one by one. His breathing was fastening, you could see his pale chest that was starting to reveal itself, starting to move faster with each breath he took.

With each button opened, scars started to reveal themselves. Pale scars, even whiter than his skin. You weren’t expecting to see any, surprised. Although this would explain why you had never gone further than a kiss, it would explain why he was so tense at the moment. You had reached a button on his stomach, when you whispered towards the scars, wanting to touch them, make them heal,

“ _Harry_.” You wished your guess to be wrong. Not wanting it to be true. He hadn’t answered you, so you looked him in the eye, afraid of what you would see. You felt devastated when he nodded ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry. And I know it won’t change anything but, he never knew what the spell was, he was never happy for what he had caused, never wanting to actually hurt you,” you said, knowing that none of it would take the scars back. They were traces of dark magic, laid all across his skin. Scars that constantly reminded him what he had once been.

“It’s okay Y/N. He really had all the right to do this, I deserved it,” he replied bitterly, bringing his hand up to place his hand on yours,

“No, he didn’t. And he knows that. He was deeply sorry for what he had done. And I know that. And you should too, hurting people never makes things better Draco,” you talked rapidly, wanting him to know that, he was only a scared boy, he never deserved the treatment he was put through.

“You did _not_ fucking deserve this, not the boy who I’ve been lucky enough to know for the past few months. You are not what people say you are, so don’t let yourself believe them.” You said almost sternly. “ _You had no choice_.” You added with a whisper. His demure softened, leaning in, to place a light kiss on your forehead.

“Thank you,” he said as he placed his chin on the top of you head, still clutching tightly to your hand, “I’ve never had anyone say words like this to me.”

“We don’t have to go, you know, if it’s going to make you feel uncomfortable.” You said, not wanting to force him to do anything he didn’t want to do, to give him a choice.

“Oh it’s _going_ to make me feel uncomfortable,” you could practically feel him grinning from where his head was placed. He pulled back, to look at you and you saw that you were correct, the large grin covering the bottom halve of his face. “But I’ll endure anything for you.”

You couldn’t help but grin back, feeling your body warming up as a response. You didn’t reply verbally, instead you presumed to open the last few buttons which remained. When all were open, you let yourself take in his broad, pale chest covered in scars. You weighed the idea of showing him the scar you bore, but quickly pushing away the idea, not wanting to make this about yourself. You wanted it to be about him, and him only. You wanted to stay there and worship him, wishing all the pain away, wanting him to know he was beautiful. Though you weren’t sure how he would react to that, so you attempted to slip the shirt off his shoulders. Shuddering at the thought of getting a look at those shoulders you loved to watch when he walked from afar on castle grounds. You were perplexed when his hands suddenly rose up to hold your wrists.

“I need you to promise Y/N. That you won’t run away or leave me when you see it.” He said desperately. You froze. Knowing what he was talking about. You had never really given it a thought prior to this moment. Never opting it as something that would repulse you. But you couldn’t help but hesitate when he mentioned it this way. What if it did make you see him differently? And you hated yourself for thinking that, even for a split second. You were trying to change and forgive, and just like him you were trying to fight all the norms and prejudices that were taught to you. Learning that there was no white or black, that life existed in the moments of gray.

“I trust you, so you can trust me. I won’t leave or run because of a mark from the past. I promise,” and you believed what you said. The Serpent had you in the palm of his hand and he had no idea.

“Well, take it off then,” he shrugged with a sad smile, releasing your wrists. So you did, trying to hide the hurt you felt when you saw it. The Dark Mark. Engraved into his skin, his skin that was tattered by so many scars already.

“We never deserved this, we were kids,” you noticed you had said the words out loud when you heard his reply,

“They took it away from us. Our childhood.” You smiled at his response, quite sadly, holding his left arm, and pressing a kiss over the Mark. You could feel him tremble under the pressure of your lips. Both of you felt like you were skirting around the shores of sin, even though the act itself seemed innocent. You let your lips linger for a few more seconds, appreciating the soft skin on his arm.

The white linen shirt you had chosen for him to wear caught your eye, you had forgotten the whole point of this was you wanting to dress him, not undress him. Letting go of his arm, you picked up the shirt, taking it off from the hanger it was hanging from, chucking it to the side. You unbuttoned it, and got it ready for him to wear. He was waiting patiently, watching intently as though you unbuttoning an idle shirt was the most exciting thing to ever exist. You were grateful he helped you slip his arms through the shirt, not wanting to think how unelegant of a sight it would have been if he hadn’t. He got calmer as the buttons fastened up one by one by your fingers. When the front of the shirt had been buttoned up, you took a step back to take a look at him. You hadn’t rolled the sleeves up, knowing he wouldn’t want that. Thinking he looked angelic, the white shirt making him gleam.

“Perfect,” you smiled sincerely. Reaching your arms out to fix his collar, the top button left open, so it would give you a glimpse of his neck.

Suddenly you felt his arms around your waist, his lips crashing against yours. As if he was trying to let you know everything he was thinking, by kissing you. Hoping you would understand. And you did. You could feel everything at once, the grief, the rejoice, the despair and the hope. It was a soft and compassionate kiss, almost full of pain, you would muse later on. You both pulled back with timid smiles on your faces, not being able to look each other in the eye.

“Alright then, let’s change your trousers and we’re done,” you clapped your hands together, readying yourself to face whatever he was hiding in those trousers. He stepped back holding his hand up, as if to stop you,

“Oh no, I’ll handle them myself thank you, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to put them back on if you take them off,” he chuckled, the light slowly arriving back to his pale cheeks.

“Are you sure you can manage?” You asked quizzically, layering innocence into your voice.

“Yes, I’m bloody sure, turn around,” he said, clearly enjoying himself.

“Don’t I get to watch?” You pouted at him, attempting to make puppy eyes.

“No, you don’t. I don’t think you’d be able to handle what’s in my pants,”

“Oh fuck you, stop being a git!” you mockingly complained, nonetheless complying to his orders, turning your back to him and using every single drop of your will power so you wouldn’t turn your head and look. You could hear the ruffle of the fabric as he discarded his trousers. Concentrating on the view of the windows, seeing a few fish swim by.

You were about to ask him if the giant squid ever passed by his windows, when you felt his lean arms wrap around your waist, from behind, startling you.

“Ready if you are Princess,” he whispered into your ear, making every single nerve in your body frizzle with anticipation. But you tried to keep your posture straight, not wanting to let into him. With his body pressed against yours, you knew you could stay like that forever.

“Let me take a look at you,” you spun around to get a glimpse of his appearance. The shirt was loosely fitted, making him look only casual enough for a party on his private yacht. The jeans, making his legs look godly.

You smiled, proud of your choices of clothing for him. Rejoiced he gave you the opportunity to dress him. The act felt so sacred and intimate and divine, you hoped he would give you more chances to clothe his body.

“You look beautiful,” you simply said,

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line Y/N?” He smirked subsequently.

“A boy can bloody well be beautiful too Draco.”

“Well, you look beautiful too. It’s not easy to pull off a look as pink and fluffy as that,” he chuckled, touching your arm to feel the texture of your jumper, deep down knowing he had loved the it,

“For fuck’s sake,” you rolled your eyes, not being able to hold back a giggle, “come on then, let’s find something to eat!” You exclaimed. He held out his arm, rather royally. You loved how dramatic he could be. You linked your own with him, and he led you out of his dorm, to the Great Hall, arm in arm, not being bothered that anyone would see you, because the castle felt like it was yours, and yours only.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Reader seeing Draco’s scars and the Dark Mark is a common trope, so I wanted to change it slightly by making Reader wanting to dress him, not merely undress. Anyways, hope you liked it! You can follow me on Tumblr, as @leydileyla . I post events and take requests from there.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco Malfoy and The Golden Trio get drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh this chapter! So much fluff and banter you guys. I’ve been so excited to write the trio finally spending time with Draco, and I’m not sure if I am truly happy of the result, but I love it nonetheless! Just a bunch of teenagers, drinking and bantering and being themselves really. Thank you to everyone who is following the story.

You walked into the Great Hall, by yourself. You saw your friends already seated and six other students at the table. Draco was to follow you in a few minutes. You were relieved when you saw there were two empty chairs next to Hermione. Scared, there would be no seats left side by side, petrified at the thought of having to sit apart, yet being so close. McGonagall, Hagrid and Flitwick were also seated around the round table, that had been readied for the Christmas feast. You took your place next to Hermione, greeting everyone and wishing them a Merry Christmas. The seat next to you stood still and empty and you felt your palms getting sweaty, your knees getting weak with anticipation as you looked at it. Everyone was joyously indulging in the festive food and chatting merrily. That was when you heard McGonagall’s voice speak,

“Mr. Malfoy, we were wondering if you would make it, come take a seat please,” she said as she gestured towards the seat beside you, sending a quick glance by your way, as if to check if you would be okay sitting next to your childhood bully. _Oh if only she knew_ , you thought.

“Merry Christmas Professor,” he simply replied. Taking the empty seat, without acknowledging you or the Ravenclaw student that was on his other side. You couldn’t help but give his upper leg a small squeeze from under the table when everyone had returned to their meals and chitter chatter. He replied by placing his hand over yours, returning the squeeze. You suppressed a smile, averting your eyes to your friends, making an effort to pay attention to them, not him. With McGonagall practically sitting opposite you, you didn’t want to pull any attention towards yourselves. Dinner flowed by flawlessly. Hagrid and Flitwick seemed to have drank a tad bit too much, and they had started to sing together when it was time for dessert. You took a slice from the white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake from the golden plate that was before you. You couldn’t help but moan with delight when you took a bite.

“Oh my god Hermione, this is amazing, you have to try some!” You exclaimed as you added a slice to her plate, feeling the soft texture of the creamy filling and the crunch of the biscuit base harmonising perfectly in your mouth. She was giggling at your response to the dessert, but her smile froze on her face, her eyes widening with shock when she saw what you were doing.

“You need to try this Draco, it’s truly out of this world! I’m sure you’ll love it!” You were giggling with joy, also adding a slice to his plate. The boy seemed equally as surprised as Hermione was, but he seemed amused at your slip up.

“Thank you Y/L/N, I appreciate your consideration,” he said, trying his best to surpress a smile but not really managing. That was when you noticed the whole table was staring at the pair of you in complete silence, even Hagrid and Flitwick had stopped singing. You wanted to kick yourself for being so stupid, wanting to cover up the interaction you and the blonde boy had just said, you passed the plate over to the Ravenclaw who was sitting beside Draco, basically forcing them to take the plate,

“ Everyone needs a slice, pass it on please,” you managed a fake smile, trying to imitate the bubbly demure you had on a mere second ago. The student looked at the plate, raising their eyebrow in confusion, though taking it nonetheless. Harry and Ron were stiffling their giggles, you could hear them from the other side of the table As you were about to resume eating, not wanting to deal with the embarrassment you were feeling, you noticed McGonagall was looking at you, her lips, pressed together forming a thin line, you could almost sense the curiosity and amusement she was feeling from her eyes, but the Headmistress was an expert at hiding her feelings, so you weren’t sure if you were just making it up. You smiled quite shyly, and lowered your gaze down to your plate, everyone else seeming to forget about your actions as the plate traveled around the table, from hand to hand.

Draco leaned in towards you when everyone seemed like they were back to their usual selves,

“It truly is out of this world,” he whispered. And you smiled without looking at him, feeling your cheeks warm up. That’s when you heard Harry,

“Shall we get going then, if everyone’s finished?”

Every Gryffindor on the table said yes, verbally and non-verbally. A sudden small sized chaos ensured on the table, when Ron dropped his cutlery on the floor, creating a large clashing sound, making Hermione almost fall over as he suddenly bent down in an attempt to retrieve the cutlery, resulting in putting her hand in a big bowl of custard, causing it to splatter all over herself and Ron by accident in an attempt to hold her balance. You couldn’t help but laugh at the scene as McGonagall stood up, trying to calm the two down, taking out her wand to clean them up. With the distraction, Harry came up between you and Draco. You had stood up in an attempt to hold Hermione before she’d put her hand in the bowl, although failing miserably. The blonde boy was still seated, watching Hermione scold Ron about being careless as Hagrid had also stepped in trying to calm them down. Harry put a hand on your shoulder, so you turned to look at him, he leaned down, lowering his voice looking at the both of you, causing Draco to tense up when Harry also addressed him when he talked,

“Would it be rude if we all just left them here?” He asked with a grin. You thought it was sweet of him, you could see he was trying to talk to Draco in a way that wouldn’t make both of the boys feel weird, in a way that would subtly make him feel like he was a part of the group. You were thankful to have him as your friend, seeing the slight conflict in his eyes, the conflict that could only be seen if you knew what you were looking for. The conflict of trying to be friendly to a person he had known to be his enemy for years.

“Yes Harry, that would be awfully rude. It’s tempting, but rude,” you laughed, and just as you were about to carry on with your sentence, you heard Hermione talk,

“Sorry Professor I’m awfully, sorry. I lost my temper, we’ll be leaving right away. Sorry and Merry Christmas to all,” she sounded mildly calmer now, or she was just putting on an act, trying to hide her annoyance towards Ron in front of the small crowd. She started to walk towards the exit with her head high. You noticed Ginny had her hand over her mouth, hiding a grin by the look of the crinkle at the sides of her eyes.

“"I guess that’s our call to to go,” Harry said as he moved towards his girlfriend,

“Y/N, Malfoy,” he nodded his head at you both, prompting for you to follow him. You could see Draco was surprised, shocked even, at the open invitation. You looked at him, silently telling him to get up, and get on with it with your facial expressions.

“Merry Christmas,” you all chanted, as the rest of you moved to leave, hurrying to catch up with Hermione. None of you wanted to step on the wrong side of her. Draco silently stood up, also wishing the Professors the bestest Christmas, and walked beside you, following Ron, who had taken the lead trying to catch up with his girlfriend, followed by Harry and Ginny. The five of you waltzed out of the Great Hall that was beautifully decorated for Christmas, leaving the whole table in awe, some rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Not wanting to believe that they had just saw Harry Potter and his friends, exiting the Great Hall together, with the Prince of Slytherin.

~

“Screaming Toads,” Ginny said out loud as you reached the Fat Lady’s Portrait, making it swing open,

“She’s gonna kill me,” Ron mumbled,

“It’s Christmas Eve, I doubt she will. She might try after Christmas is over though,” Harry laughed as he entered the hole behind the portrait after Ginny. You had walked side by side with Draco, sparing yourselves the occasional glances and the reassuring smiles that you felt like you needed to give him.

“After you guys,” Ron gestured dramatically towards the both of you. You lightly touched the blonde boy’s shoulder, urging him to follow in after Harry. He complied and you watched him disappear through the hole.

“Well this is gonna be interesting,” Ron muttered,

“It definitely is,” you replied moving towards the entrance, “and please be nice Ronald Weasley.” You pleaded before disappearing through the hole into the familiarity of your Common Room. You held your breath at the sight before you. The blonde Serpent, standing high by the entrance of your Common Room, seemingly lost, but putting on a prideful facade nonetheless. It may have worked on Harry who had already taken a seat by the fireplace, but he couldn’t fool you. You could see the discomfort he was feeling in the setting that deeply contrasted his own Common Room, around people he had known to hate for years. People who had given him a chance, believing he had changed.

“Have you ever been in here?” You asked him as you placed your hand on his upper arm, guiding him towards the fire place, whilst Ron was climbing through the entrance. The tense energy that he was emulating, reduced with your touch.

“No, never. If father ever heard I’m spending time here, he’d probably-” he cut himself off, not letting himself finish his sentence, asking you a question, to divert the subject, as you seated yourselves opposite Harry,

“I guess you had never been in the Slytherin Common Room before?” He asked, subtly hinting at the moment you had shared before dinner. You saw Harry avert his eyes from the fire towards the carpet underneath his feet, and Ron had also clearly heard his question as he moved towards the area where you were all placed, hiding his mouth behind his hand. You decided to be honest. Honesty wasn’t always something that had great outcomes, but it was the right thing to do.

“I have been in the Common Room before.” You mumbled.

“What? When?”

“Second year. And it wasn’t just me,” you looked up at Harry and Ron expecting them to also intervene,

“I should be checking on Hermione,” Ron said and he bolted towards the girls dorm. Draco had his brows furrowed, waiting silently, obviously confused by your revelation.

“Yes, Ron, Y/N and I all visited your Common Room once, and Hermione would’ve joined us too if we hadn’t had some… technical issues,” Harry said looking straight into the blonde.

“When did this happen? And why would you do something like that Potter?” Draco seemed confused as to why the Golden Boy of Gryffindor would want to sneak into his Common Room.

“Well, you were actually there when it happened. We wanted to know if you were the Heir of Slytherin or not, so we made Polyjuice potion and disguised ourselves as Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson. Asked you some questions and you acted like a complete prick,” he paused dramatically and you thought the boys were about to have a go at each other, but you were relieved when Harry smirked, “we were all annoying little kids, so don’t worry yourself about it Malfoy.” You saw Draco shake his head with disbelief.

“I can’t believe you Potter,” his eyes were filled with exasperation but you could see the glimpses of amusement sparkling in his eyes when he turned to look at you, making the butterflies in your stomach wanting to escape from their cages. “And you Y/N? I can’t believe you’ve never told me this before. For fuck’s sake how did you even manage to brew Polyjuice in second year?”

“Hermione truly is the brightest witch of her age, couldn’t have done it without her,” you let yourself giggle, also setting Harry off in process. The exasperation started to disappear from Draco’s eyes, leaving itself to amusement and he let himself smile, shaking his head again. You couldn’t wrap your head around what was happening, the boy you had started to really, really like, the boy whomst you had conspired and plotted against with your friends, the boy who had called you horrible names throughout your childhood, sitting in your Common Room. And you were reminiscing about a past event, an event that was remembered from both sides of the coin, the good and the bad. But the good and bad were blurring into each other. You now knew, that they wouldn’t be able to exist without one another.

“Where’s Ginny by the way?” You asked Harry,

“Oh, she went up to check on Hermione,” he said just as you heard the footsteps of the red haired girl coming down the stairs, with a disgusted look on her face,

“They started making out, so I threw myself out of the room” she said, scrunching her face as though she had just eaten a vomit flavoured jelly bean.

“They’ll be up there for a while then,” you rolled your eyes. “Oh dear Godric, the door is closed isn’t it?”

“Yes, I managed to shut it before my eyes melted,” Ginny replied.

“The drinks were in there, and we can’t accio them out because they’ll just be shattered to pieces!” You exclaimed disappointedly, knowing none of you would be willing to go up there to fetch the bottles and snacks you had stashed away.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’ve got this with me then,” the blonde boy smirked cockily, as he put his hand into his pocket, pulling out a tiny box. He simultaneously took out his wand, and waved it at the box muttering,

“ _Engorgio_ ,” under his breath. The box gradually grew in his palm, finding it’s true size. He handed the box over to you, and gestured you to open it with his head as he stuck his wand back into his pocket. You took the now large, long and heavy box into your hands and opened the lid.

“You’re amazing!” You shrieked when you saw the label that read “Ogden’s Old”. You saw Ginny heading towards one of the couches on the other side of the room, leaning down, to fish out a couple of glasses from underneath.

“I knew these would come in handy!” She said, as she handed held out the cups for you to fill them, “Only two but I’m sure we’ll manage to share,” she grinned as she watched the liquid pour from the bottle, filling the glasses. You closed the lid and set the bottle down onto the coffee table that was placed between the two couches. Ginny passed you a glass before taking a seat beside her boyfriend. You took a long sip, and handed it over to Draco. He followed your lead, also taking a long sip.

“I needed that!” You let out a relieved sigh as you leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch, feeling the whiskey running through your system. A weird silence hung in the room, as the four of you sipped on your drinks. And you were surprised when it was the blonde boy who broke it,

“I thought this was supposed to be a party?” He smugly asked you. You could see the longing for mischief he had in his eyes. The mischief that wasn’t present when you were initially paired up for Potions, the mischief that you gradually pulled out from him. You grinned, taking your wand out to open the radio that was placed on the mantelpiece. You let the music play on a low volume,

“Oh wait until you see us once the alcohol sets in, you’ll regret you’ve ever said that Malfoy,” Ginny spoke to the Slytherin directly for the first time. He retorted with a grin,

“Well I have heard the rumours that Gryffindors do party like hell,” he said. As each second passed, the tension in the room started to leave itself to a more playful tension. Harry and Ginny were starting to accept his presence, and Draco was slowly adapting to the dynamic you all shared. Harry leaned in to fill their shared glass with a second serving of whiskey, you downed the drink that was remaining in yours, and you passed it over the table to be filled. You still couldn’t believe you had dragged Draco to your Common Room. When you retrieved your now filled glass, you handed it over to the blonde boy. You watched him as he took the glass from your hands and lifted it to his lips. Noticing the intimacy of sharing a glass. It was inexplicable with words. The sight of the boy, sitting on the couch elegantly, his almost white hair, contrasting the fire crackling behind him, drinking whiskey ever so slowly was making your heart ache for him. You noticed you had never actually consumed alcohol with him, sparing the experience you had with the Elixir.

“I’ve never seen you drunk before,” you mused out loud, sending him a look full of desire, forgetting Harry and Ginny were sitting right before you, for a moment. He blinked ever so slowly as he lowered the glass down to his lap, looking straight into you when he opened his eyes.

“I don’t really get drunk that easily Y/N.”

“We’ll see what we can do about that then,” you grinned. That was when you all heard the footsteps coming down the girl’s dorm.

“Thank Merlin!” Ginny emitted as Hermione and Ron appeared at the bottom of the stairs. You took out your wand, moving another two-seater couch towards where you were sitting. The seats forming a “u” shape around the fire. Ginny proceeded to open the dorm room door with a spell, ’ _accio_ ‘ing all the snacks and drinks you had prepared earlier. _Now this is the start of the party_ , you thought as you watched the small table starting to overfill with everything being placed upon it,

“ _Engorgio_ ,” you said as you waved your wand, the table accomodating to the perfect size. Hermione was busy organising everything as they arrived, wanting every single thing to look impeccable. Ron picked up the cocktail shaker,

“Okay, who’s ready for some Weasley specials?”

“Not me, last time I had one, I could not remember where I had put my feet. I literally searched for my feet for almost an hour before you said they were on my feet.” Harry laughed as he reached for a chip from one of the plates.

“Oh come on Harry! Ginny, Y/N? Could I surprise you with a Roonil Wazlib Delight?” Ron pleaded,

“Ew no, that sounds horrid,” Ginny scrunched her face again.

“No, thanks Ron,” you smirked as you reached for a strawberry.

“Don’t even dare asking me Ronald Weasley, I want to remember what I’ve done on Christmas Eve.” Hermione chimed melodically as she settled down on the couch, putting her wand away. The red haired boy looked at Draco from where he was standing,

“Malfoy!” He exclaimed as though he had just had a huge revelation, “Come on, let me prepare you a drink!”

“Oh Ron, no one wants your cocktails!” You shaked your head with a chuckle emulating from your lips.

“Okay then Weasley, surprise me.” You heard Draco’s voice from behind you.

“Darling you don’t need to be polite.” You interjected.

“No, really I’m intrigued by the concept of ’losing one’s feet’,” he grinned,

“I’ll make you lose much more if you want to Malfoy,” Ron smirked almost wickedly,

“Try me,” Draco urged. You met eyes with Hermione, who was also trying to stifle a laugh, just as you were. So Ron prepared Draco a cocktail, you changed to some white wine after the whiskey, not really caring about mixing drinks. Ginny and Harry snuggled up to each other and Hermione decided to drink some vodka mixed with cranberry juice, even though Ron reminded her what had happened the last time she’d drank vodka. Needless to say, conversation flowed, your friends accepting Draco even more as the night carried on, with bottles emptying, the clock ticking and your mind drifting.

~

You were surprised when you heard the tune of “Sweet Caroline” on the radio.

“Wait a minute, what’s Neil Diamond doing on the wizarding radio-thingy?” You asked, finally feeling drunk, your legs draped over Draco’s lap, whom himself had moved to a more comfortable position, with his back supported by the comfortable cushions on the couch, his body had already lost every single tense edge to it. You could see he felt safe here.

“Neil Diamond is a wizard Y/N,” Ginny shouted, without halting the act of pouring a shot down Harry’s throat.

“HANDS TOUCHING HAAAANDS!” Ron suddenly started to shout, so you waved your wand to turn the volume up to the fullest. You were too drunk to comprehend that Neil Diamond was a wizard when all of your friends started to join in with Ron. So you did too,

“SWEEET CAROLINE! GOOD TIMES NEVER SEEMED SO GOOD!” You were all shouting, the act could not really be called singing, at the top of your lungs. All of you, but the Silver Serpent. You urged him to join in, not caring if he knew the lyrics or not. And he did. He knew the lyrics, and he started quietly at first, timid even. But as the song carried on and the whole Gryffindor Tower was echoing with your voices, he left the need to be discreet. The six of you lost yourselves in the lyrics, laughing and giggling. Ron even stood up and gave Hermione a twirl when the song was halting to an end. Harry cheered and clapped his hands when the melody died down, as the rest of you all chuckled with glee trying to catch your breath.

“I need a fag,” you said suddenly standing up, but the dizziness suddenly took over as your body slightly tipped towards the left. Two almost-steady arms in the linen shirt you had picked out, took a hold of you before you tumbled down.

“Come on Princess,” he murmured into your ear as he wrapped his arms around your waist from behind you, urging you to walk. So you both wobbled your way towards a nearby window, as he hugged you all the way there. You pushed open the window slightly ajar with the Prince of Slytherin glued to your back, nuzzling your neck with his nose.

“Oh stop it,” you giggled, feeling like time itself had stopped. “Tell me you’ve got a pack on you, pleeease,” you whined, needing the feel of nicotine running through your veins desperately.

“Tis in m'pocket,” he mumbled, not lifting his head up from where it was nestled, pushing his right leg slightly forward. You let your hand creep up his thigh, towards where the pack of cigarettes were. The feel of his jeans were heavenly under your fingers, so you took your time, probably taking more time than you should have, with your drunken mind losing it’s ability to judge your actions. When you finally reached the rectangular case, you fumbled around with the fabric having a hard time getting it out. He only wrapped his arms around you tighter as a response, his warm breath grazing at your neck. You managed to get the silver case out, despite his attempts of sabotage. Relieved when you noticed the lighter was placed carefully in the case.

You took out a cigarette, offering him one by reaching out your arm out towards his cheek, without turning your back, your body still pressed against his. You slightly tapped his cheek with it, and he made you chuckle when he got slightly irked out by the sudden touch of the cigarette. He took it between his lips, taking the lighter from your hands and proceeded to light it with his right arm, as you placed one amongst your own lips. He leaned down do light yours, and you watched the small flame the lighter produced in a drunken haze. You were relieved when you took the first breath in, with the smoke filling your lungs calming you.

Both of you stood there, silently. The boy hugging you from behind with his left arm, his head perched on your right shoulder, watching the snowy night sky, excluding yourselves from the crowd for a moment. Still not knowing what you were feeling, how the both of you had grown so close in such a short time and what he was to you. What were you to him? Was this even right? You didn’t want to be asking these questions with your mind faltered by all the wine you had downed. So you sent them off into the starry night, imagining them evaporating into the air. You had him by your side, and he made you feel elevated, so that was all that mattered at the moment.

“Mistletoe!” You heard Hermione yell, which startled the pair of you. She had her wand in her hand, pointing towards you. Lifting your head up, you saw the obviously newly formed mistletoe hanging above you and the Silver Serpent. A very drunk Serpent, to say the least.

“Hermione, you just placed that above us, we all know that,” you whined with protest.

“Oh come on!” Harry and Ron both urged you on and you were confused as to how easily they had accommodated to the situation. Must be some of Ron’s special cocktails that made the transition easy for them, was the thought that was passing through your head when you felt him turn you around, your body complying, moving much faster than your brain was processing everything. So when his lips smashed against yours it was actually a tad bit of a surprise. You could hear your friends cheering from the distance while your lips found their sync, the taste of the alcohol, the nicotine, strawberries and chocolate, laced with peppermint on your mouths, the adrenaline coursing through your veins as your brain finally kicked in, reminding you that you were in the Gryffindor Tower, snogging a very drunk Serpent in a very drunk manner. The kiss was far from elegant, it was a drunken and clumsy clashing of mouths. But it was amazing, nonetheless. You savoured it, and cherished it.

Draco pulled back, and you could see his cheeks starting to go red, although you weren’t sure if it was from the kiss, the alcohol, or kissing someone in front of a group of people. He put a hand through the hair at the back of his head.

“Okay Hermione, you’ve had your fun, now it’s our turn!” You exclaimed as you giggled, taking out your wand,

“ _Wingardium Leviosa_ ,” you said carefully, as you guided the mistletoe towards her and Ron, so it would linger between them

“Well I’m not complaining,” Ron said as he practically attacked Hermione’s face.

“Ugh get a room!” Ginny said drowsily where she had her head on Harry’s lap, curled up on the couch.

“Good idea Gin,” he grinned, pulling Hermione from her hand and heading towards his dorm.

“G'night everyone!” Hermione managed before disappearing up the stairs.

“Oh Godric, those two will be the death of me,” Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry just chuckled at her, his fingers playing with her auburn locks of hair that was sprawled out across his lap.

“Come on,” you took the blonde boy’s hand when you had both finished your cigarettes, leading him to the couch where you had previously been seated. Thankful for the fireplace, the snowy night had given you a slight chill.

“Is Ginny sleeping?” You whispered to Harry as Draco sat down.

“I think she is, yeah,” he replied with amusement. You sat down right beside Draco, placing your head on his chest, his hands automatically wrapping around you. You sighed deeply, inhaling the scent of him as you felt your eyes starting to feel heavy, betraying you. It was such a weird sight the Common Room was bearing at that instant. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, both drunk, both sitting up straight, both with a girl cuddled up to them. Two sides of a coin, reflecting each other perfectly in the moment.

“I should probably take her up to bed,” Harry mumbled as he stood up, slightly stumbling. He was obviously not aware of how drunk he was.

“Oh, could you send down a blanket down while you’re up there?” You asked him, without moving your head away from the Serpent’s chest. The chest that was filled with scars.

“Yeah, of course. Of course,” he said quizzically raising his eyebrow in an amused manner, but not commenting about it.

You and Draco both watched as Harry woke Ginny to take her upstairs, whilst he took a half empty bottle of red wine from the table.

“Good night lovelies, Merry Christmas!” You whispered, not wanting to completely awaken Ginny as she was still half asleep.

“Love you Y/N,” Ginny mumbled, as Harry grabbed her from her waist.

“Right, good night then. Thanks for coming Malfoy,” Harry nodded at Draco.

“Thanks for the invitation Potter,” he replied. And a moment of mutual understanding passed between them. You watched as Harry guided Ginny towards the stairs.

“Well that went well, didn’t it?” You slurred,

“Quite well.” you could feel the smile on his face. You placed your hand on his chest, holding it there for a moment.

“What time is it?” You wondered and glanced up at the grand clock in the Common Room.

“Bloody hell, it’s almost 4 o'clock!” You couldn’t believe how time had passed.

“I should be going,” the blonde attempted to move. You sat up, pushing down the hand you had on his chest, making him stay where he was. That’s when a blanket came levitating down the stairs, draping over the couch you were both sitting on.

“You, Draco Malfoy, are not going anywhere,” you sang as you took your wand out with great effort, your head spinning. You hoped you could manage magic.

“ _Engorgio_ ,” you pointed your wand at the couch and it started to grow. Once it reached the size you had intended, it carried on to grow slightly more. You shrugged, not caring about the perfect size right now. All you wanted to do was drift off to sleep in Draco Malfoy’s arms. He had wide grin on his face,

“I’m not sending you down to those cold and scary dungeons by yourself at this time of the night,” you drunkenly waved your finger at him, making him chuckle,

“Whatever you say Princess.”

You reached over to the blanket after collecting some pillows from around the room. You made him shuffle so you could put the pillows where you were to place your heads, and you let your body drop down to lie down next to him, pulling the blanket over you. The blanket was soft and warm, the boy next to you was even warmer. You were having a hard time keeping your eyes open at this point,

“Lay beside me Draco, please,” you whispered to the boy who was still in a half seated half laying position. He seemed like he didn’t know what to do with himself. But your words seem to console him, you saw his body soften and relieve it’s tension as he lowered his head on to the pillow beside you. You thought you could hear his heart beating, but you waved it off as your drunken imagination making up things. You looked into his eyes one last time before cuddling into him, finding a comfortable position on the now quite enormous couch, clutching onto him, never wanting to let him go,

“Thank you Y/N,” you heard him whisper as he wrapped his arms around you, burying your head deeper into his chest.

“Oh is nothin’,” you managed before you finally surrendered to sleep. Draco Malfoy, followed you shortly after.

And your minds danced together in the realms of dreams, finding each other every single time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Draco exchange gifts for Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Finally the chapter where Reader and Draco will exchange gifts! I had asked my followers on Tumblr what they should gift each other, and I merged some ideas. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, hope you enjoy!

“Good morning,” the platinum blonde was looking down at you, as you were trying to remember where you were. Noticing the couch that was so large, it seemed like 5 people could fit in it. All the empty bottles stacked on the table in front of you, accompanied by the almost empty bowls and plates of snacks. The sun was already up, the grandpa clock in the cosy room almost about to hit 9 o'clock. And the boy. The sight of him before you, was the best Christmas present you could ever receive, sitting right beside you cross-legged, his shirt crinkled from sleeping in it, his hair ruffled up and his eyes slightly puffy from the alcohol.

“Good morning,” you smiled at him, stretching out your body which gifted you a laugh emulating from his lips. “You’re up early,” Memories from the previous evening started to flow back into your mind, making your smile grow even bigger than it was. You rised your upper body, pulling up your legs to cross them, mimicking Draco.

“I wanted to take in the view, wouldn’t give it up for the world, don’t care how bad a hangover I’ve got,” he smiled sincerely, and you locked your eyes for a moment, letting everything sink in. The clock in the Common Room was ticking prominently.

“Right, I should get going,” he suddenly said,

“Where?” Feeling the panic rise in your chest.

“To take a shower silly, meet you at the Great Hall?” He smirked, giving your thigh a squeeze, the move making you feel like you were melting into mere nothingness.

“Meet you at the Great Hall? Someone’s feeling bold today,” you said as you grazed your fingers over his hand that was still resting on your thigh.

“Must be all the alcohol, and those damn cocktails Weasley made still running through my system,” he chuckled, and leaned in to give you a small peck on the lips before proceeding to stand up, climbing over you.

“Be quick Y/N, I hate to wait and you know that,” he said smugly before heading towards the exit.

“I’ll be the fastest I have ever been, don’t you worry,” you laughed, knowing the Hall would be empty, guessing everyone in the castle would still be sleeping after all the Christmas celebrations you knew would be taking place around the castle.

“Merry Christmas Draco,” you said before he stepped into the hole behind the portrait. You saw the flash of light run through his eyes one last time when he turned to look at you,

“Merry Christmas Y/N.” And he disappeared, leaving you flushed and dizzy. You looked at the now empty spot next to you, smiling at the memory of cuddling into the boy, and the fact that you had drifted off into the most peaceful sleep you had known in ages.

It was ironic, knowing the nightmares you still had sometimes, were ignited from the point he had stood at all those years. Ironic that, he was helping you mend those points of ignitions, that he had indirectly and even directly caused. You shaked your head, standing up and grabbing your wand to clear up the room. Starting by returning the couch to its usual size.

~

You had managed to tidy the Common Room with a few flicks of your wand, quickly heading to the showers after attempting a healing spell on yourself for the headache and nausea that was starting to kick in. It wasn’t as good as Hermione’s, but it was better than nothing.

The doors of the Hall stood open before you and you felt your heart skip when you saw the blonde boy sitting by himself at the Slytherin table. You practically ran towards him.

“I can’t believe it’s only the two of us,” you exclaimed so loudly that it startled him. You decided to sit before him, not beside. Wanting to watch him as he ate. You noticed the area of the table he occupied was filled with an amazing selection of food for breakfast.

“I requested everything from the elves, they weren’t expecting anyone up so early,” he chuckled when he noticed you were looking at the food.

“Thank you,” you smiled, “this is becoming the most amazing Christmas I’ve ever had.” You said and you meant it. He smiled at that, you saw his cheeks starting to turn crimson as a blush crept up from his neck.

“You haven’t seen your present yet,” he said as he waved his hand in a gesture, making it seem like it was unimportant.

“Draco, you shouldn’t have!” You mockingly exclaimed, knowing well the boy wouldn’t miss out a chance on indulging you in gifts.

“Don’t act like you haven’t got me anything Y/N,” he replied with a smirk. You felt defeated,

“Hey, don’t ruin the surprise! I was planning on surprising you after breakfast,” you said as you patted your bag that you had with you. He laughed and shaked his head. Your gaze turned from the boy, to the sausages on the table. You felt your stomach grumble and you started filling your plates. Adding everything you thought the boy may enjoy onto his own. He let you serve, and let himself watch you as you babbled about all the food and the memories they brought for you. Only when you were finished serving, you noticed he was quiet. It made you feel slightly embarrassed,

“I’m sorry, I talk too much,” you said,

“I love it when you talk too much, don’t ever be sorry for it,” he grinned, almost wickedly and it made your stomach flip and turn. The pair of you started eating, and conversing. Freely. Not having any prying eyes on you, not scared to pull the attention onto yourselves. You had your own little bubble, and you had no intention of letting anyone in.

You felt his hand reach over the table, as you were drinking your tea, and it closed down on yours that was idly placed on the table. You felt the unsure energy he was radiating, and looked at him from the top of your cup, before putting it down onto the table. He paused, clearing his throat before he talked,

“I want to say lots of things to you Y/N, but I’m not good with words all the time. I know what I’ve done, what my family has done. And I know that makes you feel guilty for spending time with me,” You tried to jump in when he said that, but he cut you off by waving his other hand sharply.

“Don’t say it doesn’t because I know it does. And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t me trying to make you feel bad for thinking that way. You have all the right to. And I’m grateful that you’re the brave Gryffindor you are, overcoming those thoughts and doubts, and giving me a chance. I couldn’t be anymore lucky, to have the chance to spend time with you,” he smiled, reminding you of your own words you had said, months ago, before you had shared the Elixir together. The next words he said, made you lean in closer to him,

“I just want to say, and this has taken a really long time for me to come to terms with, you’re not the only one with prejudices that were rammed into your head, all I want to say is that I,” he stopped, closing his eyes, and you wanted him to carry on with every cell in your body, feeling yourself inching closer to the edge of your seat unintentionally,

“I lo-” and his words were cut off, with the voice of one of your best friends,

“Nice to see you two are up early!” and you wanted to scream and shout at him, but you didn’t, instead turning to look at him,

“Harry!” You exclaimed, trying to put a happy tone on your voice, but you were gritting your teeth and you were sure your eyes were full of the madness you couldn’t contain, you noticed he had walked into the hall, hand in hand with Ginny. Draco pulled his hand back, and you turned back to him, your face full of longing. You noticed how much you craved his touch, how much you needed him. His face was also radiating annoyance, but he was much better at concealing it,

“Mind if we join you?” Ginny asked in a jolly manner. You quirked your eyebrow at the blonde boy, checking to see if it was okay, he just shrugged, looking at his mug of coffee that was on the table, untouched.

“Yes, of course, why not?” You replied, and they both took their places next to you, as plates magically appeared in front of them. They seemed awfully bubbly, which made you feel surprised. _Were they really that accepting of the boy? Was it truly that easy for them?_ You and Draco carried on with your warm drinks, as they had breakfast. The Hall was quiet, except for your chatter. No one was there to witness the glances you and the Silver Serpent shared over your mugs.

Once your beverages were finished, he stood up, in a graceful manner and you panicked. Not wanting him to leave so soon.

“I’m afraid I’ll be stealing Y/N for a bit, we’ve got this urgent matter we need to tackle,” he said with politeness dripping from his words, to Ginny and Harry, making your cheeks warm up.

“That’s fine, please do enjoy yourselves,” You saw the grin forming on Ginny’s face as she talked. The blonde boy nodded as he processed to move towards the door, urging you to follow him. You squeezed Ginny’s shoulder, smiling at the two, and left them at the table. Eager to hear the rest of the sentence the boy was about to say, although you already knew what it was. You didn’t need to be the brightest witch of your age to know it was a half completed love confession. And the partial-revelation had made your body tense and flush since he had almost said the words. The words that would change everything.

You met each other at the end of the table you had been eating at, and you both stood there awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to do with yourselves. You felt the Gryffindor in you kicking in, your hand found its way into his and you held onto it tightly, wanting him to know it was okay. He blinked and understood, returning your gesture with a small squeeze. You waltzed out of the Great Hall, hand in hand, enjoying the emptiness of the castle. Neither of you saw Harry spilling pumpkin juice all over himself when he saw you two, as Ginny was stiffling a laugh behind her hand.

~

He was leading you down a set of stone steps, that you had reached from a door in the Entrance Hall. You knew where he was taking you, but you wanted to ask him anyway, to tease him almost,

“Where are you taking me?” You asked, trying to seem as innocent as you could.

“You know damn well where I’m taking you Princess,” he said smugly and tugged at your hand so you would quicken your pace. Your feet complied with ease. You arrived at the entrance to his Common Room, shortly after entering the cool corridors of the dungeons. He mumbled the password and led you in.

The sight of the Common Room seemed to make you feel lighter, almost welcoming, the green ambience reminding you of him even more as time passed. He walked towards the grand door that was the entrance to his dorm, and you felt your excitement growing, remembering the previous evening. The intimacy of the moment managed to take your breath away.

You noticed the room was adorned with delicate fairy lights when you stepped in through the door. The lights were emulating a warm, bright shine into the room, which made the hazy green tones of the lake, seem much more welcoming.

“ _It’s beautiful_ ,” you whispered,

“I thought you’d like it. I just wanted the room to match your light that brightens any room you stand in. I noticed it had started to feel dull in here this morning, when I came in to change my clothes. Needed a little brightening up,” he said, seemingly happy and proud about himself. You felt your heart warm with the compliment,

“I love it,” you smiled, as you wrapped your arms around his waist, pulling him into a gentle hug, placing your head onto his chest as you listened to his heart. He pulled his arms up to embrace you tentatively, placing his chin onto your head. And the both of you stood there for a while. Enjoying the moment, cherishing each other. Two opposite sides, finding the light in each other. _Change_. A lot had definitely changed.

“I want to give you your present,” he mumbled into your hair, taking in the scent of your favourite shampoo. Little did you know, it was starting to become his favourite shampoo too. You groaned in protest as he pulled back, heading towards a desk that was placed in front of a window. He opened the top drawer that was placed under the desk and pulled out a small box. You watched as his hands brushed over the silver satin bow, that was placed upon it. You walked towards him, and he took your hand, giving you the gift in person. He had only ever delivered everything via owl, or other students up untill now. This was the first time he was passing it on, himself. A shiver ran through your veins at the intimacy of the moment. He wasn’t hiding behind postal services, he was all yours, completely open to your reactions.

You noticed the irony of the moment, he was giving you a box, with a silver ribbon on top of it. And he was asking you to open it. It was like he was serving you all the mysteries that lay within him.

“Draco, you already do so much, you shouldn’t have,” you repeated what you had said in the Great Hall.

“You must be out of your mind if you thought I would be able to skip Christmas gifts Y/N!” He exclaimed with a deep laugh. You loved the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed carelessly, not bothering to mask his feelings when he was around you. “Well come on then, open it,” he smirked, nodding at the box.

You wrapped your hands around the delicate ribbon, wondering if he had tied it, or if it was tied at wherever it was purchased. You pulled it open, and opened the lid of the smooth box. You inhaled a sharp breath at the sight of his gift.

“ _Draco_ ,” you whispered at the blonde boy, who was staring intently at you, taking in every movement of your face, trying to find clues as to what you were feeling.

It was a ring. A silver ring with a serpent embedded on it. It curled around the silver band delicately, and you could see the small details that made it seem like it was alive. He found the need to speak when you didn’t react,

“I’ve never seen you wear rings, so I thought this would be something different,” he said timidly, almost scared of your reaction to the ring that was basically the embodiment of Slytherin.

“Bored of the starfish, were you?” You said, your eyes still fixed on the beautiful ring, that was still placed in the box. He seemed panicked at your response,

“No, no absolutely not. It’s just that, I know you love to carry around starfish around you because it reminds you of your family. And I just, I mean, I wanted you to carry a part of me with you aswell. Sorry if it’s stupid Y/N, let’s just forget about this, I’ve got you a back up gift,” he rambled as he tried to take the box back from you, but you pulled your hand back, not letting him retrieve it.

“A back up gift? Draco Malfoy, you _will_ be the death of me,” you rolled your eyes and let out a small laugh, carrying on without letting him speak, “you are so fucking extra, buying me a back up gift incase I wouldn’t like this, buying me expensive jewellery so casually, that you make it drop from the fucking air from an owls beak into my scrambled eggs. Giving me a gift which screams "Draco Malfoy”, a gift which has a silver serpent on it, a gift which isn’t just any piece of jewellery, it’s a fucking ring that is so intimate, that I will carry with me for everyone to see, letting everyone know, I carry a piece of me with you,“ you talked without breathing, "You are so dramatic, and poetic, and I love it.” you finally finished, letting a devilish smirk appear on your face. He seemed mildly relaxed,

“So you’ll wear it?” He asked, almost expectantly. _Change_.

“I gave no promise, I just said I liked the gift,” you grinned, knowing that wasn’t the response he was asking for, he slumped his shoulders, slightly pouting his lips.

“Would you like me to wear it?” You asked, wanting to be sure. You noticed you didn’t want to seem too eager, you still weren’t totally comfortable around him, some of your shields were still up.

“I would very much die for you to wear it,” he answered deadpanned. Your heart lightened at his statement,

“Is this you trying to mark your territory, trying to claim me as yours Draco?” You asked, pushing your chance even further, remembering the words he had almost said at the breakfast table. The words that had been ringing in your ears ever since.

“I guess we could say that,” he whispered, and you were satisfied with his answer. You didn’t bother replying him verbally, you simply took the ring out of its case, and slipped it onto your finger. It was the perfect size, gleaming in the fairy lights that surrounded you.

“I love it,” you said as you were dancing around with those specific words, knowing he was looking for the perfect moment to say them to you. “I guess I’m the Princess of Slytherin now?” You asked him with a large smile, not believing the words you were saying,

“You’ve been the Princess of Slytherin since the first class we shared together,” he retaliated with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. All you wanted to do, was kiss him. But you needed to give him his gift first.

You jumped around to pick up your bag where you had discarded it. You pulled out a rectangular shaped gift, wrapped in gold wrapping paper. _Two people could play this game of using house colours for wrapping,_ you mused as the ring gleamed on your finger.

“It’s not anything special,” you said as you re-approached the boy, who was looking at you eagerly.

“Don’t be silly Y/N,” he amusingly scoffed, reaching out his hands so you could place it in them. You could see the excitement in his eyes. He looked like he was years younger, with the look of anticipation that appeared on his face. Almost like he was a small child again. You gave him the package and took a step back. Biting your lip, not sure how he would react. You were feeling the same things he was feeling mere minutes ago.

He took his time opening the gold paper, taking his time unwrapping it. You weren’t sure if he had slowed down his moments to further torment you, or if it was merely your mind playing tricks on you and he was just opening it at a normal pace. It was a book. You saw him raise his eyebrows in interest when he saw the title,

“ _The Little Prince”_

It was your own copy. You had owned it since you were 15, your mother gifting it to you on your birthday. And you had carried it around with you ever since then, re-reading it over and over again, different parts of it making sense to you at different stages of your life. Sometimes the first chapter would spark something within you, and sometimes the last. That’s what you loved about the book, it seemed to change every time you read it, creating different thoughts and emotions every single time.

He opened the cover, after he had discarded the wrapping paper onto the desk. Your name was written on the front page, with the date of your 15th birthday. He slowly started to realise this wasn’t just any old book you had picked up from a store. Flipping the pages, he noticed the passages that had been underlined, and small notes you had scribbled around the pages. Notes that had been taken over the course of the years, sometimes about things that made you sleepless, notes that were about things that made you happy, notes that made up who you were, notes poured from your soul onto the paper. His eyes widened as he turned the pages, and a piece of parchment fell to the ground from within the pages as he did. He leaned down to pick it up, your heart racing,

_“I gift you, all of me. Within the pages, you’ll find me, find who I truly am. And you are the only person I would share that with. Merry Christmas, Draco.”_

His eyes followed the words, silently. Making the silence drag out even more. The thoughts of the gift being a stupid and childish one started creeping into your mind. And as you were about to say something, he suddenly closed the endless space between you, leaning down to meet your lips. And you were surprised, the kiss feeling full of hunger and passion, and understanding. The possibilities were endless with the boy, he made each kiss feel unique. This time, it was much more open, much more sacred. You had both gifted each other a part of yourselves, and it was almost as if you were trying to make yourselves become one, by sealing it with a kiss.

He pulled back, and you saw the determination in his eyes when you opened yours.

“I love you,” he said, simply, with no pressure on him. The war and the pain and all the bad memories slipping away for a moment, to let you two, just be. You found the words slipping from your mouth easily,

“I love you too, Draco.” You had never felt closer to him. It was like all the barriers that the both of you had once had, disappeared, creating a mutual understanding and union between yourselves. You pulled him in for another kiss, wanting to have all of him. To pull him into the bubble you knew only the two of you could exist within. His breath was quickening, and you knew you both longed for the same thing. You felt his arms wrap around you, and suddenly your feet were swepped up from the floor. He was carrying you, towards his bed and you could see the flames flickering in his eyes as he broke the kiss to look at you. He carefully dropped you down on to the bed, laying you down, like you were a delicate flower he was scared to ruin. He climbed over you, and you had the audacity to compare him to an angel waiting at the gates of heaven. Your own heaven, where only he waited for you. To guide you into realms you had never entered before.

You felt like you needed to ease the tension, because the air was becoming tighter between you,

“I was wondering when you’ll be giving me my back up gift, darling?” You smiled. He clicked his tongue, throwing you a filthy look that made your stomach clench,

“I’m going to give it to you right now, if you think you can handle it,” he said mimicking the devil, changing from the persona of an angel instantly.

“I can handle anything,” you whispered, and he pinned you down onto the bed, with his body, his mouth savoring yours. You gave into him, wanting to have everything he offered you and wanting him to take all of you. The ring glimmering on your finger, as you let your hands roam freely in the land of the Silver Serpent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyy! Yes finally, I know 🤭 Also, I didn’t want to write smut for this specific fic, the whole vibe of this story is that they console with each other, in privacy, in their own little bubble. And sex is such an intimate act for the both of them, as they have been holding it off for months of tension, I just wanted for them to share that moment privately. I know I’m overthinking, but I’m truly obsessed with these two! Anyways enough with the rambling, hope you enjoyed, keep your eyes open for the next chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You see a newspaper article, and become curious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!! This is a short chapter, and it’s creating a base for change! Which is the fav theme of this story! Thank you for everyone who leaves comments and kudos, you mean the world!

_Two days._ It had been two days since you and Draco Malfoy had not left his dorm room. He would only occasionally run to the kitchens to bring some food for you to share. And you were just marveled at the idea that he would actually bring you something to eat. _Draco Malfoy_ , the heir of the great Malfoy name and fortune, bringing you steak and kidney pies. It made you laugh silently every time you thought of it.

You had sent your friends an owl, not wanting them to worry about your whereabouts. You could practically read Ginny’s smirk from the reply she had sent back.

You stretched your legs in the green velvet like blanket when you woke up, moving ever so carefully, not wanting to disturb him. The Slytherin Dorm Room. Green and envious around you. You decided to get up and walk around to bring your legs back to life. Smiling at the boy sleeping soundly beside you, you carefully lifted the blanket and tried not to make the hard, wooden floorboards creak when you stepped out of the warm bed. You searched for an item of clothing around the room, before you turned to look at him with a grin on your face, heading towards his wardrobe. You were sure that wearing one of his shirts would make him go crazy for you. It certainly made _you_ go crazy, to say the least.

Your hand wavered on a dark blue shirt before you took it from the hanger, and you slipped it around your bare skin, goosebumps forming on your arms and neck as you felt his clothes engulf you. Swatting away the thoughts of your many pages of homework and the upcoming N.E.W.T.’s, you headed towards his desk, taking a seat. The desk was placed in front of one of the large windows and it had a perfect view of the lake. Your hands grazed over his notebooks, and books that were carefully placed upon the desk. A half written essay caught your eye, his elegant hand writing that you had become so accustomed to, made your heart swell. Remembering all the notes that had brought you up to this moment. _Change_.

A sigh escaped your lips, for all the memories the platinum blonde brought to you. He had told you that he loved you, and you had returned his words back. You had never intended to be so deeply entangled with him, but you felt like there was no turning from here. While all the thoughts were swirling around your mind, the Daily Prophet from the day before caught your eye. You started skimming through the pages. Looking out for any trials of Death Eaters that were still going on after more than a year, or checking to see if there was news on any new regulations the Ministry was bringing in. Your eyes widened when you saw an article, an article on Mrs. Malfoy herself,

_“THE MALFOY’S ANNUAL NEW YEAR’S GALA IS BACK, AND IT WILL BE AS MAGICAL AS EVER”_

It was an article detailing the history of the family’s gala, mentioning who was rumoured to be there this year, the decor that Narcissa Malfoy herself had carefully chosen and the food that was going to be made by top chefs around the country that was to be catered. Your mouth dropped, noticing the pale blonde boy had not told you about the event. It was obviously one of the many ways of the family trying to regain their sympathy after the war. They may have redeemed themselves with their actions during the Battle of Hogwarts, but their previous ties with Voldemort made people whisper, and turn their backs to them.

 _Why would he not tell me? Had he really chose to stay here instead of attending the Gala? Or was he going to sneak back to the Manor, without telling me?_ Were some of the questions rushing through your mind before you heard his sleepy voice croaking from behind you,

“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable?” He gestured towards the shirt you had on. You decided to bring the subject up in a few moments, letting his mind wake up from his sleepy haze.

“I thought I should’ve put on something, I’ve been naked for the past two days,” you grinned, making him pout in response.

“But darling, you truly are a piece of artwork without clothes on.” _Oh he was awake,_ he was awake at last. You grabbed the newspaper from his desk, tiptoeing back to his side, dropping your body onto the mattress, crossing your legs underneath you.

“What’s this?” You showed him the article, while adorning a cool and collected voice. He looked confused. Okay, maybe not so awake. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed what you were asking him. He let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did.

“It’s just this stupid ball they throw every year. Well, almost every year. They had to skip last year.” He finished silently, looking at the jade green curtains draped over his four poster bed.

“And? You weren’t planning on telling me?” You prodded further, wanting to know what his intentions were.

“I didn’t think it was relevant.” He answered reluctantly.

“How is that?” You weren’t going to let it go.

“I’m not attending, I’ll be here with you.” He shrugged as he extended his arm to run his fingers up your right side. Your heart dropped at his carelessness,

“You’re not attending? Draco this is a great opportunity-”

“An opportunity for what?” He cut you off, his voice gaining the strength it seemed to lack since his awakening. You took a breath in, trying to choose your words carefully, not wanting to seem arrogant,

“An opportunity for good press. An opportunity to start meeting people, regarding what you want to do after school. An opportunity for you and your family to be seen together, closer than ever,” you finished off, wanting to hear what he had to say before carrying on with anything else. He was staring at you, with eyes that weren’t giving you enough clues as to what he was thinking.

“It’s always boring,” he drowsily answered,

“Hey, I never said anything about it being fun. They may be boring, but they are useful.” You said with a small smile.

“And how do you know that?” He asked playfully,

“Mister Malfoy, I think you forget that I’m a war hero sometimes. I’ve given countless motivational speeches enough for a life time,” you rolled your eyes, exasperated. He chuckled at that, rolling his head onto your knee. You could feel his warm breath on your stomach. He wrapped his arms around you lazily,

“Okay Miss War Hero, what are you getting at?” He smiled onto your leg.

“You should be there. It would be great for your reputation.” You said firmly.

“And? Would that make it easier for you to be seen around me? Make you less ashamed to be seen with a former Death Eater?” He said, turning his icy blue gaze to look up at you. You swallowed, wanting to let him know everything.

“No. I’m not ashamed Draco Malfoy. I know who you are. I just needed to be sure.” You said, trying not to grit your teeth, trying to keep your voice calm.

“Be sure of what?”

“Be sure that you loved me back.” You replied simply, shocked at how the words slipped from your lips so easily. His arms tightened around your waist. You carried on, not letting him interrupt,

“And if it makes you uncomfortable that we’ve been playing in the shadows for months, let’s go together. You shouldn’t be missing this.” You waited for him to answer, almost challenging him to oppose you. He only chuckled,

“Oi, stop it!” You slapped him on the shoulder. The shoulders that had started to move with the laughter that was erupting from within him.

“I love it when you do that,” he managed, only to have the amusement take over him once again.

“What?” He didn’t answer, “When I do what?” You huffed, not understanding why he was laughing uncontrollably in your lap after you had been so sincere with him.

“I love it when you say such amazing things, but with this tone that sounds like you would kill me if I ever said anything in opposition,” he laughed against your stomach and you felt a relieved breath leave your lungs. He noticed you were still waiting for a proper response, so he pulled his head back again, to look at you, sending shivers through your spine in the process.

“I guess I wouldn’t say no to Miss War Hero on my arm, the press would definitely go wild.”

“Oh they would lose it, talk about it for days, we’d probably even make the headlines,” you cocked an eyebrow, feeling the excitement starting to run through your veins. You could see his mind rushing with the possibilities too. Months of hiding away, escaping from prying eyes, and now, you were suggesting to let everyone know, in the grandest way possible. He sat up, facing his body towards yours. The thought of the two of you prancing around together at the Malfoy New Year Gala, the impact it would have on the wizarding world, had both of you on edge. And at that moment, you felt like the both of you had the world in your palms.

Things were escalating quickly, and usually that would scare you. Make you turn away, make you turn around and leave. Make you run. But the only direction you were running, was towards him. And you were getting faster and faster, not caring if you would crash someday. You looked at the paper that was now crumped up beside you on the bed, noticing the date.

“Draco it’s the 27th today!”

“So?” He replied uncaringly, “we’ve still got 5 days to make arrangements, I’m sure mother will be delighted to hear you’re coming.”

“ I haven’t got a dress!” You exclaimed, your mind racing, thinking you would probably be able to find a suitable dress from Hogsmeade.

“Oh Princess, any dress, _anything_ , name it and it’s yours,” he murmured as he leaned in closer to you before you felt his lips against yours. It was a lazy kiss. Though not in a negative way. It was sweet and calm and you felt both of his hands brush over your knees, up your thighs and upto your waist, holding you as he scooted in closer. You pulled him in, with your hands that were already tangled in his ruffled up hair. He broke the kiss, and as you were about to protest you felt his left hand lift your jaw slightly to expose your neck, placing his lips onto your already bruised skin. Marked as his. You shivered when you felt his tongue graze right under your ear, his hand firmly holding your head in place, the Dark Mark openly visible to you. Suddenly, you noticed what he had said,

“Your mother would be delighted to hear I’m coming? What do you mean by that Draco Malfoy?” You demanded, and his lips slowed down their pace, pulling back, but his hand on your jaw stayed in place. His icy blue eyes were looking into you.

“She knows about you,”

“Since when?”

“Since the first Starfish. Where do you think I found them from?” He replied smugly. You felt the embarrassment creeping in _, how much did she know_? You had never directly spoken to Narcissa Malfoy, but you knew, if it weren’t for her lying to the Dark Lord with no fear, you would probably all be dead by now. The Malfoys had their own weird ways that aided your side during the war. You noticed you had gone quiet for a while, when the Silver Serpent spoke,

“Let’s not worry about all this now, I want us to enjoy the empty castle as much as we can,” he grinned, knowing he had caught you by surprise with the revelation. You shaked your head, and his fingers left their spot at your jaw,

“Let’s go for a walk, my legs are killing me,” you groaned, making him chuckle. Knowing he was the one responsible for the state of your legs.

“A shower first?” He asked as he started to get off the bed, the words dropping with innocence but you knew what he had in mind. You grinned, excitement taking over your senses again,

“Sounds rational,” and you got out of bed, following him to the showers. Knowing no one would be there to disturb you. Your private little bubble was about to pop, and it was about to pop in the most grand way imaginable. You drifted into thoughts of the ball, your mind racing with possibilities that would come out of it.

~

The halls were poetically empty, the classrooms were delicately abandoned. You spent almost an hour walking around aimlessly, hand in hand, running into Filch in one of the corridors in the west wing. He was so surprised to see the both of you together, he was not able to reply when you wished him a good morning. You walked past him silently, and only let yourselves laugh when you were out of sight. You could faintly hear Mrs Norris mewling behind you as you walked past portraits, portraits that stopped what they were doing and stared at your intertwined hands. The whole castle seemed like it was awakening with the new gossip. _Change_. The turbulence of change was taking over your lives.

When you joined your friends for breakfast, they weren’t surprised to see you hand-in-hand, making puppy eyes to each other. The same could not be said for McGonagall and Hagrid who were sitting at the teachers table. You could feel their shock from the other end of the room. Brushing it off, you sat down beside the Silver Serpent, your ring gleaming in the morning December sun that was seeping through the ceiling. Everything was changing, and you were ready to embrace it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco has a surprise for you.

Events had been happening so fast in the past few days, and Draco’s revelation of his mother knowing about you, had made you notice that your mother did not know about him. The thought of telling your parents had occasionally occurred to you in these past few months, but you had never acted on the idea. Not sure what reaction they would give, not certain if they would approve of it or not, made you hesitate. But if you were going to attend the Malfoy’s New Year Gala, you needed to tell them before they heard from anyone else.

You were in your dorm room, sitting at your desk, staring at the empty parchment in front of you. It was your fifth attempt. You weren’t sure how to word out the situation that was occuring between you and the Silver Serpent. You paused for a moment, letting yourself think, collecting your thoughts. And you let the quill guide on the paper, the words almost forming themselves as you wrote the letter and once it was finished, you proceeded to rush to the Owlery to post it.

~

“I thought you had said that you didn’t want me to go back there?” He mumbled from behind you, against the exposed, tender skin on your shoulder, placing a small kiss on the area.

“That was before I heard you were having a bloody party,” you replied, stepping away from his touch to slip your top back on, from where it had been discarded unceremoniously onto the floor of the empty classroom you were in.

“Oh, so you enjoy parties that much Y/N? Should’ve thrown one earlier,” he smirked, and you heard him buckling his belt up from where he stood behind you.

“Draco, you know damn well why I’m dragging us there, we’ve went over this,” you said.

“Yes, darling, it’s for the champagne. _Obviously_.” You turned to look at him, and caught him rolling his eyes at you in a mocking way. You shaked your head and tutted,

“Someone’s not behaving again,” you practically sang. He pushed his bottom lip out,

“Is anyone out there to put me back in my place?”

“Oh for Merlin’s sake Draco, come on. I doubt Slughorn would be pleased to see us in here like this,” you said, your fingers fumbling around in your hair, trying to look as presentable as possible before leaving the Potions classroom. Draco had insisted on fucking you in here, claiming it was where it had all began. You hadn’t needed a lot of persuasion from the boy, you had found yourself on your knees soon enough, practically yanking his belt off, beneath the work counter that you had initially been paired up at.

“I’m actually looking forward to it. I mingled with your friends, now it’s your turn,” he grinned. You hesitated before answering him in the dimly lit corridors.

“To be honest, I’m not really hesitant about your friends,” you said quietly. He smiled,

“Happy to hear that Y/N.” You reached out for his hand and halted your steps before talking. He turned to look at you when you stopped him.

“I’m hesitant about your father,” you mumbled as you looked at his shirt collar, not being able to look him in the eye. You didn’t want to lie to him, you had no desire of being dishonest. He shuffled uncomfortably where he was stood.

“I’ve talked to him. He’ll be,” he paused, trying to find the correct words, “tolerable.”

“Tolerable? Well that’s a relief,” you let out a sad laugh as you looked at his face, searching for emotion. His face was collected and bare from any conflict that he may be feeling. Memories of the Manor flickered past your eyes, but you tried swatting them away. You were doing this for Draco, the boy who could change. Who had changed.

“He’s no angel, but he will not be disrespecting you in any way. I can’t change what he’s done, but I can try to make him learn from his mistakes,” he said. The blonde boy never failed to surprise you. You would never have imagined Draco Malfoy standing up to his father. You were hoping everything would go smoothly.

You noticed you had started to walk again, hand in hand, neither of you with a certain destination in mind. You had made it a routine since the the first time you had walked together a couple of days ago. Enjoying the melancholic loneliness that would mesmerise you.

_You and Draco had walked into McGonagall’s office together the previous evening, which had surprised her. And when you asked her if you could both be pardoned for a day to attent the Gala together, you had no idea the Headmistress could be speechless. Never once had you witnessed the Professor be in a loss for words._

_“Together?” The witch managed, her eyes wide with shock. You and Draco stood in front of her desk uneasily for a short second before he grabbed your hand with confidence, nodding his head with determination._

_“Yes Professor,” he said, his acceptance making you smile. McGonagall stared at your connected hands with lifted eyebrows._

_“And you are both sure you want to go to this Gala?” She double checked, as she was pulling out a piece of parchment._

_“Absolutely sure, Professor,” you chimed in. She pursed her lips into a thin line, looking at the both of you before talking in a worried tone,_

_“And I am hoping you are aware of the effect this may have in the Wizarding World?”_

_“Yes, we have discussed it between us,” Draco said calmly. Yes, you had discussed it, whilst he was banging you against the shower wall. You weren’t sure if it had been a logical conversation, filled more with lust rather than logic._

_“Okay, then. I am writing your permission slips, and you can both leave at 8 o'clock on the morning of the Gala, to the apparation point in Hogsmeade, assuming at least one of you have your license to apparate,” you both nodded at that, “and when do you plan on returning?”_

_“The first-”_

_“The second of January,” Draco cut off your sentence. You were assuming you would only attend the ball and come back, but the boy had surprised you, yet again._

_“I will be expecting you two to report you are back on the second of January, at 7 o'clock in the evening. Are you sure you don’t want to spend the rest of your holidays away from the castle?” She asked._

_“No Professor, it’s our last year here, and we want to be here for the majority of the holiday season,” you spoke._

_“Your decision Miss Y/L/N. Mr. Malfoy, could you give us a minute please if that is all,” she smiled warmly at the Slytherin. He nodded before sending a glance to you, retrieving his hand from yours, and heading towards the exit._

_McGonagall looked right into you when Draco had left the room,_

_“The boy needs all the love he can get Miss Y/L/N,” she said with worried eyes, you barely nodded, not being able to answer the Headmistress._

_“And the same applies for you, don’t let anyone mistreat you,” she said solemnly. And you were thankful for her. Thankful to know she only wanted the best for her students._

_“Thank you,” you smiled and she_ _smiled back, signaling that your conversation was over. You left her office with the permission slips she had signed, only to find Draco at the bottom of the stairs waiting for you._

_“The second of January? I thought we were to return after the Gala?” You asked him quizzically. He leaned in closer and brushed his lips against your ear,_

_“Not before I fuck you on every surface of the Manor, Princess,” he whispered, which made your body stiffen with tension as a response, your breath hitching as he backed away._

The memory made you grin as you entered the courtyard, casting a quick warmth preservation spell as you walked aimlessly the beautiful December air, tingling your senses. You cuddled onto his arm and placed your head on his shoulder.

“I need you to stay with me tonight,” he broke the silence.

“And when have I ever said no to that?” You smiled, as you clutched his arm tighter. He placed a gentle kiss at the top of your head as a response.

“I was thinking maybe we could spend the day catching up on the school work we have clearly been ignoring?”

“Oh don’t remind me,” you could feel him rolling his eyes over your head.

“I can think of ways to reward you,” you grinned, making him stop his steps. You suddenly felt him pull you against him, and he looked straight into you. _Change_.

“Reward me then, Princess.” His thumb brushed over your bottom lip, and your eyelids shut tightly. You couldn’t handle him.

“I need to see you deserve it Malfoy,” you said as his trailed down to your neck, to the spot he knew you were most sensitive.

“Back to surnames I see?” He cocked an eyebrow,

“I guess you’ll have to make me say your name,” you shrugged, as you broke free from his touch, “meet me at the library in 15 minutes, I need to grab my stuff,” you sang as you shuffled your way back to the castle, leaving him behind you, flushed and dizzy. You were hoping you wouldn’t be distracted by the Silver Serpent, that you would be able to get some work done. The teachers were definitely not going easy on you, war hero or not, the same rules applied for everyone.

~

You had actually managed to study and catch up with your homework during the day. Hermione had joined the pair of you when she entered the library, to find you studying together, and it was fun to watch her and Draco banter about Arithmancy. The both of them were the best wizard and witch of their age, and it was interesting to see them interacting in a way that was accepting, but also challenging. It was so different than what you were used to. Although, everything seemed different now, thanks to the Prince of Slytherin.

You had made your way up to his dorm after enjoying dinner, that was perfect, as always. You sat at the Slytherin table with him, choosing not to sit with your friends for a night, and share a meal with him, and him only. They understood. You had spent almost 7 years dining with them, Draco was a whole new territory for you to explore.

You let yourself onto his bed, sitting up against the headboard, resting your back on his cushions that smelt of him. _Maybe I should smuggle one into my dorm_ , you were thinking as the blonde boy shut the door behind him, heading to his wardrobe. You eyed his movements, expecting him to change into something more comfortable, but instead, you saw him pulling out a big, cream coloured box from the bottom of the wardrobe. Not understanding what was happening, you furrowed your brows as he approached the bed.

“This is for you,” he said, popping the large box onto your lap. You shaked your head,

“Draco, darling, please-”

“No, you deserve the world love, and I’m merely here to give it to you,” he said cutting you off. You felt your fingers tremble as they found their way to the lid. Knowing you could never say no to the boy who had now taken a seat beside you. You gasped when you saw the content, it was gold. Rose gold, to be precise. You didn’t have to be the brightest witch or wizard of your age to figure out it was a dress, before taking it out of the box. You placed the lid beside you carefully and proceeded to take the dress out. Draco was sitting beside you silently, watching every move you made, taking in every single emotion that flickered across your face. It was a long, silk dress. So delicate, that you were scared you would harm the garment with your touch.

“Draco,” you said, longingly, your eyes tearing up. It was beautiful, to say the least.

“No need to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow and stress out over shopping,” he said, with a smile on his face, “if you like it that is,” he added quickly. You chuckled,

“I love it!” And you placed the dress back into the box carefully as you leaned over to him, draping your arms around his neck, holding him close. Trying to pass on everything you wanted to say through your embrace. He pulled back, darkness taking over his ice grey eyes. You knew what that meant, and it made a shiver run down your spine. He still had his signature tight suit on, which made him completely irresistible to you.

“Let me dress you.” You knew it was an order, he wanted this more than anything, and you were willing to give him everything.

You didn’t say anything, but stood up remembering the way you had dressed him, and moved towards the long mirror beside his bed, waiting for him to approach you.

You saw his reflection from the mirror as he took the dress out from the box, and draped it across his bed, before he moved closer to you. You could smell his cologne as he placed his strong hands on your hips, staring at you from the mirror. He guided his hands up, and he reached for the hem of the jumper you were wearing. His fingers played around for a moment, while he placed his head onto your shoulder. He let his hands guide under the soft wool, and waver around your bare stomach. You could feel the goosebumps forming on your spine as he took his time, his chin nuzzling on your neck as he never broke his gaze from your reflection.

Finally, he pulled the jumper up, you lifted your arms, helping him. He dropped the item of clothing to the floor and caressed your bare arms. You were left in your bra and jeans in front of the mirror, he stared you down for a moment with dark eyes before moving from behind your back. You let a moan escape from your lips with the loss of his touch.

“Patience Princess,” he smirked, as he moved to the front of your body and swiftly kneeled down in front of you. You held your breath, knowing what was to come next. He unbuttoned your jeans with his skillfull fingers and pulled them down in one move, you stepped out of them as he pulled them away. You let out a long shaky breath when the cool air hit your skin.

The moment he heard you, he decided to place small kisses against your stomach. You wrapped your fingers through his shortly cut, silky hair. The reflection was delightful to watch, making all of the sensations double in affect.

His soft lips moved gracefully along your tummy, and you were in heaven, craving for more. But before you could progress any further, his hands unclasped your bra, and slipped it off, exposing your breasts to the view of the lake. You gasped at the sudden movement as your bra fell to the ground. Draco stood back up, and picked the dress from the bed. He opened the zipper that was placed on the side of the dress, and you watched him bunch the material up carefully, proceeding to step closer to you once more.

“Help me Princess,” he chuckled, “I’ve never put on a dress before.” You laughed with him,

“Come on then,” you said, raising your arms as he held out the garment for you. The rest was easier when he managed to guide the dress over your head. The silky fabric flowed down your body, feeling pleasantly cold as it touched your skin. You looked heavenly in the dress,

“It’s beautiful Draco, thank you,” you whispered as he was fixing the silk with his slender fingers here and there, so it sat perfectly over your figure.

“Makes me want to devour you, love,” he murmured as his arms wrapped around your waist, his chest pressing against your back, his breathing heavy on your neck. The silk made his touch feel much more intense against your skin.

“Thank you,” you said, as you moved your right arm to caress his cheek, your reflection following suit.

“Now the only thing we need to figure out, is how I’m going to resist the urge to rip the thing right off of you at the Gala,” he smirked, making your stomach twist and turn with the thought of him ripping the dress off because he so impatient to have you.

“You’ll have to be patient Draco,” you said wickedly, letting his name roll off of your tongue. He smiled and placed a delicate kiss on your neck, right under your ear.

“One more thing,” he said, pulling back from you, heading to his desk and opening the top drawer. You let out a laugh, not believing how extra the boy could be. He pulled out a jewellery box. _Of course he pulled out a fucking jewellery box_ , you thought as you waited in front of the mirror. His steps carried him back to you, and he held out a small black box, that you had became overly accustomed to in the past few months.

A smile formed on your face as you took the box from him, opening it, you saw a starfish. A rose gold starfish hair pin, to be exact. It was different to the first one he had given you.

“You’ve never given me gold jewellery before. Is my Gryffindor affecting you badly?” You said sarcastically, but he knew you loved it.

“I couldn’t give you silver jewellery for a golden dress Y/N, don’t be silly,” he mockingly answered.

“I always prefer the hair pin,” he grinned, closing the space between you. Just as you were about to place a kiss onto his lips, you both heard a tap at the door. You felt uneasy, thinking of a faceless unwanted visitor waiting at the outer side of the room.

Draco must have sensed your worry, and he squeezed your arm before walking to the door,

“It’s an owl. See we don’t have the luxury of owls tapping at our windows, so they have their own entrance to the Common Room,” he said with a large grin forming across his face.

“Oh fuck off, it wasn’t my choice to be placed into a tower,” you said not being able to stop your giggle.

“Or was it?” He said and he opened the door to let the owl fly in. You were surprised when the owl flew straight past him and came towards you. It dropped the letter in its beak onto the bed, and flew back out without stopping for a break. Draco looked surprised,

“Well that was a moody owl,” he commented. But you were too busy staring at the envelope that had been discarded onto the bed unceremoniously. Your heart was pounding as you looked at the letter. It was addressed to you, and it was your mother’s hand writing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had found an image for the dress I had in mind, but because this is an imagine, I ditched the idea of linking it, and didn’t give many details about the dress, so anyone reading it could freely imagine the type of dress they wanted to.


End file.
